New Seed
by klepto-maniac0
Summary: Seiftis. AU. How long can a relationship run on pure lust before it turns into something more? Updated in multi-chapter chunks every week.
1. Chapter 1

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

31 January 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

Oh my god, I can't believe it

I've never been this far away from home

/\/\/\/\/\

Seifer wasn't the sort to blaze through his tests, but one week he was finishing a quiz early and happened to glance up at the front of the desk. To his surprise, Instructor Trepe seemed to be looking at him, or more accurately spacing out in his direction.

Because there was no reason why she'd be looking at _him _with glazed-over eyes, the end of a pencil between her lips, idly swirling her tongue around the eraser in a distinctly erotic way.

Seifer froze. He had been about to stretch, but seeing Instructor Trepe obviously in the middle of some fantasy made him feel incredibly awkward and he did not want to draw any attention to himself. Not moving a muscle, he glanced from side to side to see if anyone else had noticed what was going on. Nobody was moving. Everyone was concentrating on their consoles, pushing buttons or typing short answers depending on where they were. Seifer glanced at Instructor Trepe again and this time tracked her line of sight. As he'd thought, she wasn't looking at him, but rather at Squall Leonhart.

"_Well isn't that interesting,"_ thought Seifer with a silent laugh. He rolled his shoulders instead of stretching and went back to his test, which was suddenly much harder to concentrate on. About four more questions in, Seifer glanced up at Instructor Trepe and noticed that she seemed to be leaning down in her chair and her non-pencil-holding hand was nowhere to be seen.

"_No. Fucking. Way."_

She was still spacing out and looking directly at Squall Leonhart, and Seifer started to sweat as he became more convinced that Quistis was secretly the biggest freak he had ever encountered. Seifer shifted in his seat as he wondered if Squall had any idea that one of the most desired women in the Garden wanted to do unspeakably dirty things to him. There was no question in Seifer's mind that Quistis Trepe was at least in the top ten—no, top FIVE—and Leonhart should be honored to feature in her filthy imaginings. Of course, he'd probably go "Whatever" like he did to everything, which pissed Seifer off. Why, if Quistis had been thinking about _him..._

"_Jumped-up bitch is only four months older than me and a full SeeD? Life isn't fair, but it does have a way of balancing out... I could probably teach our dear Instructor a thing or two... Ah, fuck," _thought Seifer as his display flashed, showing that there were five minutes left in the exam. At once the room came alive with clicking and rustling as people frantically tried to cram in their last, best answers. Seifer was mostly done except for a few multiple choice questions, so he guessed on all of those, tidied up his short answers, and hit 'submit' with twenty-two seconds to spare. When he sighed in relief and looked up, however, he was alone in the room except for Instructor Trepe.

"Fuck," he swore, this time aloud.

"There's nothing wrong with finishing a test last," she told him reasonably, the kindest she'd spoken to him in months. "As long as you finish it well."

"I think I did pretty good," he said with a grin. As he gathered his bag, he said, "The students have been behaving themselves, so there's not much for me to do."

She nodded politely. "Then spend your time well, Seifer."

He nodded just as politely at the dismissal and left, a spring in his step and a grin nearly splitting his face. He sought out Fujin and Raijin immediately and mindful of the Instructor's reputation, took them on a 'walk' to the secret area, which at this time of day was deserted. And then he told them.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Fujin gasped, her face turning bright red. Raijin hooted and hollered. Seifer threw back his head and laughed.

"I know!" He exclaimed happily. "Can you fucking believe it?"

"No," said Raijin, chortling. "She's always been such a bi—ice queen," he corrected quickly as Fujin glared at him; she had strong feelings about the B-word and other gendered slurs, which was why Seifer and Raijin didn't use them.

"MISTAKE," said Fujin, folding her arms. "MUST BE."

"Well she sure as hell wasn't looking at me," said Seifer, which made Raijin laugh again. Fujin cocked her head.

"WHY NOT?"

"Because she hates me?" Seifer laughed and shook his head, saying, "I know I'm dead sexy and all, but I'm pretty sure I'd know if she liked me_ that way."_

"NOT ALWAYS."

"An' she doesn't hate you," said Raijin thoughtfully, making Seifer look at him. "She's just disappointed in you an awful lot."

"Thanks," said Seifer flatly, though it sailed over Raijin's head. "Though we'll see what she says about this last test. I think I nailed it."

/\/\/\

"What do you mean, I _failed?"_ Seifer asked in a voice trembling with shock.

He found himself in the Headmaster's office with Cid, Xu, and Quistis. Cid looked apologetic like he always did during cases of academic misconduct; Seifer had been at his side plenty of times whenever he had to deal with a disciplinary case, and Cid being such a cream puff meant that Seifer often had to play the hard guy. Obviously that was Xu's role today, not that she didn't enjoy it; she was actively smirking at him, the bitch. She had always hated him for some reason. So Seifer looked at Quistis, who had her arms tightly folded and her lips pressed to a thin, disapproving line.

"Seifer, all your responses were identical to another student's," said Quistis, her voice low.

"So I failed because you _think_ I cheated?" Seifer fought to keep his voice under control, but it was nearly impossible with Xu the Bitch smirking at him, Quistis looking at him like he was something on her shoe, and Cid standing there doing nothing. "I'm the Head of the Disciplinary Committee! I chase people down for this shit every day! Why would I do it?"

"Because your grades are awful," said Xu, making him glare at her. "It's not hard to imagine you getting desperate. Failing this written exam means you don't get to the take the SeeD field exam...again."

Seifer gritted his teeth and looked at Cid. "Tell them!" He demanded of the man, who looked away. "Headmaster, you know I wouldn't do this!"

"I agree," said Quistis, making Seifer look at her suddenly. Though she looked at him, her comment seemed directed more at Xu when she said, "Seifer is too proud to cheat. And the consoles have been known to trade answers before. Are you willing to take a retest, Seifer?"

"Yes! Let's do it now!" Better to do it when the material was still fresh in his head.

"Good," said Quistis, straightening her glasses. "The tests are on paper this time and I'll grade them myself. If you'll follow me to the classroom."

Seifer followed, trailed by Xu and Cid. As they walked to the classroom, Seifer fumed and swore at Quistis in his head. Giving him a retest instead of trusting him, who did she think she was? She'd probably fucked up his grades herself when she was thinking about banging Squall Leonhart instead of keeping her eye on her work! And naturally he was suffering. Seifer mentally added another checkmark to "reasons to kick the shit out of Squall" list.

There was another student there when Seifer came into the classroom and he experienced another surge of irritation that _he'd_ been the one called up instead of this dumbass nobody. But wasn't that the life, nobody liked him or trusted him, so despite being head of the Disciplinary Committee and making sure the Garden ran nice and smooth in the halls, Seifer was the one hauled up on his ear.

He was so worked up by his half-imagined persecution that Seifer almost didn't see the way the student paled at the sight of them, though the boy sliding out of his console and falling to his knees definitely got his attention.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The student wailed immediately, bowing frantically to the four of them. Seifer glanced back to look at Cid and Xu, who seemed stunned. "I didn't know I was stealing _his_ answers, I'm so sorry, don't expel me!"

"...Well," said Quistis, looking back at Seifer. To his surprise, there was a smile on her usually cool face. "I guess that's that."

"I guess it is," said Seifer, cracking his knuckles. The student dropped into a kowtow and held it, trembling. "On your feet, you idiot. Don't be disgusting when you make a mistake. Apologize to the Instructor and the Headmasters for wasting their time."

"Now, now, that's not necessary," said Cid, gratefully stepping into a role he was more comfortable with. To the student, he said, "Come up to my office and we'll talk about this. Seifer, I trust you'll be discreet?"

"Always, Headmaster," said Seifer with a nod. He didn't _want_ to be, but Cid didn't ask many things of him. Xu looked vaguely disappointed as she left with Cid, leaving Seifer alone with Quistis in the classroom.

"So," he said to her. "I'm too proud to cheat?"

"I think so," said Quistis, folding her arms. "You always do things the hard way... But your own way and nobody else's. When I saw your name on the identical tests, I thought there had to be a mistake with the consoles. But then I talked to Xu and she got carried away—"

"—because she hates me."

"—because that's how she is," said Quistis with a frown. "And that's how it all blew up. I'm sorry you went through that."

Seifer exhaled forcefully, but this grievance was too fresh to let go of. "Why didn't you just talk to me first?" He asked.

"I..." Quistis hugged her arm and glanced off to the side, saying, "I didn't want to put you on the spot in case I was wrong."

"So hauling me up was better?"

"No." She sighed irritably and looked at him. "My intention was to match the grades against your usual testing average and compare them to the other student's testing average. Statistically, this would prove whose test answers were most likely the original since students tend to score about fifteen percent above or below their average."

"Wow," said Seifer, leaning back a bit. "All that math just so you don't have to talk to me, huh?"

"Math doesn't lie."

"You think I'd lie?"

Seifer half-expected Quistis to deny such a thing, but to his surprise he saw a hard glint come into her blue eyes.

"Everybody lies," she said in a voice that sent a little shiver down his spine. In a more normal voice she said, "Anyway, it all worked out. Have a pleasant rest of the day."

"What about you?" He asked her, making her look at him strangely. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"I...don't see how that's any of your business, Seifer."

Seifer opened his mouth, but no words came out. In fact, the longer he stood there, staring at Quistis with his mouth slightly agape, the more Seifer realized that he had no idea of what to say or even why he'd asked her about her schedule.

"You're right," he said, shaking his head. "It's not. Sorry."

Quistis looked at him for a moment and to Seifer's surprise, patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe you should take a rest," she told him. Again that rare smile graced her face as she said, "And you did very well, by the way. A perfect score. See you in the field exam."

"Alright," said Seifer, now grinning broadly.

That night Seifer lay awake in bed, arms pillowing his head, and wondered what the hell he'd been thinking. Alright, so he wasn't exactly 100% when it came to telling if girls liked him, but he knew sure as shit if _he_ liked one of _them_ and he did not like Quistis Trepe in that way. Nope. She was stone cold, strict as hell, and if he wanted to get crass with it, she was not curvy enough for his liking. Most SeeD women weren't, a consequence of kicking ass for a living.

Still... He thought of the way she'd played with that pencil eraser, completely unaware that he'd seen her, and felt a surge of sensation below the belt.

"_I bet she was thinking about cake,"_ he thought, nevertheless reaching down to undo his belt. _"Or ice cream. It's been hot. She probably wanted to get a popsicle from the cafeteria..."_

The sudden banging on his door made Seifer sit up with murder in his heart, shouting "WHAT?!" at the door.

"What yourself!" boomed Raijin, making Seifer roll his eyes and curse. "Come on, why are you in bed already?"

"It's night and I'm tired!"

"You aren't even a liiiiittle interested in kicking some stoners in the secret area? Fujin's got 'em pinned down."

Seifer did perk up at that. There had been an uptick in recreational drug use at the Garden and they'd been looking for a supplier for weeks.

"Okay, you got me," said Seifer, rolling out of bed. "Let's go take some names."

Raijin laughed on the other side of the door.

/\/\/\

Quistis had most decidedly not been thinking about cake that day.

She was single by choice since there were very few men in the Garden, older or otherwise, who could keep up with her intellectually and also appreciate her humor. Nevertheless she daydreamed about romance and other, more heated things. Her secret shame was that she read erotica on the 'Net and had recently begun to post some of her own creations under a nom de plume. To her surprise, people on the other side of the screen actually seemed to like what she wrote. And when she started drawing, oof. She had actually examined her contract when people began offering her money to draw things for them and amazingly, there was nothing in her Instructor contract that said she wasn't allowed to have an 18+ side business.

It was exciting and arousing, but it also meant she had to get creative. Rapidly Quistis decided that she'd rather set the price on her original works rather than obey random desires (some of which were _very_ strange to her; why did so many people enjoy the idea of being eaten so much?), so she began releasing pinups about her own erotic imaginings, changing hair colors and body types so nobody looking at her work would ever imagine that _Quistis Trepe_ was the one drawing all the smut.

And the money just flowed in, which was nice too.

Then one day Quistis was approached by a respected website that specialized in female-driven erotica and was offered a sizable amount for creating a short story for an anthology. Quistis checked with several of her online, erotica-creating friends and decided to go for it, though it did require less sleep and a certain amount of creativity when it came to things like storytelling and art direction.

And then there was the problem of what to actually draw.

When there was no pressure, she could draw anything. But when there was, her mind seemed to dry up. Quistis went back to files of ideas she'd compiled, but nothing leapt at her enough to inspire her. It wasn't until the test administration that she suddenly got a seed of an idea, just almost casually noticing how much space there was underneath her desk.

The students were busy taking their tests, so Quistis chewed on her pencil as she glanced stealthily around to make sure everyone was occupied. Satisfied, she pressed the height adjuster on her chair and slid down a little as the seat eased down with an audible hiss of hydraulics. She measured the space by sticking her legs out and touching her heels to the solid front of the desk. It was very spacious down here. Easily large enough to hide someone doing something they shouldn't.

As she slid down, her skirt rode up a little bit and inspiration struck as Quistis realized she'd encountered plenty of _male_ teacher crush creations, but very few well-done _female_ ones that were more than male wish fulfillment. She started to grin a little bit and plan out her scenario, imagining some handsome student hiding underneath _her_ desk, doing what she wanted... Ooh. Quistis sat up and put on an attentive face as students finished their tests and left, but her mind was already whirling with possibilities. She tried not to be impatient as the last few stragglers turned their work in. Surprisingly, Seifer stayed until the very end. It wasn't like him to have trouble with tests.

"Fuck," he swore as he lifted his head and looked around.

"There's nothing wrong with finishing a test last," Quistis told him. "As long as you finish it well."

Personally she had some doubts about that, though she could admit that his grades had improved a fair amount over the past year. She tried not to inflate her ego about it; he was probably doing well in all his classes, not just hers.

"I think I did pretty good," he said with a grin. As Seifer picked up his bag, he said, "The students have been behaving themselves, so there's not much for me to do."

Quistis nodded politely. "Then spend your time well, Seifer."

He nodded politely back, but not before she caught a glint in his sea-green eyes that she recognized as a bit of mischief, a bit of rogue, and all trouble. As he left, she bit her lip as another bolt of inspiration hit. She only prayed that Seifer or anyone who knew him would not recognize the work she was about to create, because his fictional counterpart was going to get schooled...badly.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: First foray into smutfic. The version on A03 is considerably more pornographic and I don't normally cross-post, but the problem is that I _hate_ A03's user interface. The stat tracking for this site is so much more rewarding.

For art associated with this fic, check out klepto-maniac0. tumblr. com

/\/\/\/\/\


	2. Chapter 2

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

1 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

It don't matter to me,  
'Cause all I wanted to be  
Was a million miles from here  
Somewhere more familiar

/\/\/\/\/\

If anyone would send him porn, it would be Raijin. Nevertheless, Raijin usually prefaced his porn with "OMFG! cant believe this shit" and not "You really need to look at this." The proper capitalization and grammar was intriguing enough, but when Seifer opened the link in his student mail, he was nevertheless stunned by what greeted him.

It was a blatantly obvious pastiche of _him_ going down on a pastiche of _Instructor Trepe_ while she sat at her desk.

Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth, not sure how to feel. On a visceral level, he had to admit the picture was hot—oh, and it was one in a series. Compelled by a drive he feared to name, Seifer downloaded all the images and went through them slowly, arousal warring with a growing disquiet. He'd honestly not thought that Quistis had been looking at him that day, but obviously there was a lot going on in her head.

Apparently, some of that had to do with a student making up for misbehaving in her classroom by giving her head under her desk in the middle of class. Fuck.

"_I wonder if I could fit under that desk,"_ Seifer found himself wondering before he shook his head, shuddering loudly. _"No! No! Too creepy!"_

He tried to be disgusted at the graphic depiction of how Quistis—alright, _Quinn—_wanted to dominate _Kiefer_ and render him into a helpless slave to her charms, but godDAMN if it wasn't hot. Somehow Quistis had been able to tap into that reptile part of the man brain that craved sex with overwhelming need and transform it into something even more intense. Seifer couldn't imagine losing himself over any woman in that way for long, but for a moment? Yeah. Definitely.

Of course, his version would end with getting out from under that desk, pinning her to the wall, and making her break all the composure she'd been keeping throughout class.

"Where the fuck did you find this?" He emailed Raijin.

Raijin sent him another link. It was a pay site, which annoyed Seifer, but as a parentless ward of Balamb Garden and as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, he got a bit of a stipend to spend on what he wanted and so he signed up without hesitation. At first, the sheer plethora of porn comics made him stare, but he kept his eye on the prize and searched through thumbnails until he found art that matched the ones that Raijin had sent him.

And holy Hyne, was there a lot of it.

/\/\/\

Quistis was dreaming, she knew that, but it all felt so achingly real as she stammered her way through a speech while on his knees behind her and hidden by a podium, Seifer did everything she had drawn _and more_. She had no idea what she was saying, only that she had to get through it before Seifer made her cum in front of all her colleagues and all of her students, and it was getting harder to concentrate with every passing moment...

She came awake just as imagination exceeded her actual experience, and the physical wanting was so bad that Quistis had to finish herself off to the thought of being helpless before her most troubled, most irritating student. Afterward she lay in bed and sourly thought that her story idea, profitable though it had been, was more trouble than it was worth. Off and on since submitting the story a month ago, she'd been imagining incredibly hot sex and always with Seifer.

"_That is the last time I put anybody I know into those things,"_ she thought crossly as she rolled out of bed for a shower.

It wasn't just the sexy dreams. It was guilt too. She was fairly sure it was just her conscience that made her think Seifer was acting weirdly around her, but Hyne, what if he knew? What if that was why he'd been so quiet and well-behaved in class lately? What if he knew somehow and...and...was disgusted? And wanted to deflect her interest, so he didn't do anything to draw attention?

"_Though would I like it better if he misbehaved...?"_

Honestly Quistis had no idea how good Seifer was in bed and anyway, imagination was flawless. But Quistis had read enough erotica that she thought she had a pretty good handle on things and the fact that she was eighteen, single, and _kissless_ made her grind her teeth. Again, there was nobody at the Garden she wanted to date...

...but have sex with?

"_Not him,"_ she told herself sternly as she washed off the sweat from her midnight imaginings. _"Anyone but him. He'd lord it over me forever if he knew."_

She could imagine that he would be a dirty jackass about it too, taunting her with his discovery and telling her that if she didn't do _everything_ he wanted, he would let everyone know what she did in her spare time. Quistis grumbled a bit about that before the unkind image vanished, and she sighed. She thought she knew Seifer as well as anyone else, and blackmail wasn't his style. He preferred to punch and chop his way to victory in all aspects of life. If he found her attractive, he would have told her flat out.

Hyne, how would that have gone?

"_You're hot. Let's bone."_

Quistis cracked up in the shower, laughing so hard she almost slipped. Nevertheless feeling better about herself, she dressed and went about her day perfectly normal, even interacting with Seifer like nothing was wrong. His polite, somewhat closed-off response to her pleasant demeanor confirmed her suspicions that he knew something, however, and as the day went on, Quistis's mood soured. She needed to talk to him and soon.

But where? Her room was out of the question. His room was out of the question too. And there were very few places where two people could talk unnoticed. Briefly she considered the secret area, but that would give him the wrong idea.

It suddenly occurred to her that Seifer had not taken his GF test yet.

There were three low-level GF's around Balamb Garden, which was one of the reasons why the Garden had been built there. GF's could lend the powers to multiple people at once, provided they liked said people enough, and after reviewing Seifer's file, Quistis decided to knock out two birds with one stone. She messaged him as soon as it was convenient and pointed out that the Lightning Forest was very close by.

So they met early one morning and Quistis was pleasantly surprised that Seifer was carrying a backpack like the one she had. Surprisingly few testees remembered to watch over their own supplies, often extending their test by several hours when they needed to go and pack. Seifer greeted her politely and they set off for the Lightning Forest.

At first Quistis had an idea of trying to talk to him immediately, but she couldn't figure out what to say and it was such a pleasant day that she decided it would be best to let Seifer take his test first and then, when he was feeling accomplished and happy, she would ask him why he had been so...

"_So polite? So well-mannered? So... Not himself?"_

And what would the point of such a conversation be, anyway? She was fairly sure that she didn't want to lose her virginity to Seifer Almasy, but she had the feeling that if she brought up sex, that would almost certainly happen. Maybe not immediately, but he'd figure something out. Men could be very tricky with seduction... Hell, it was practically a trope, the bookish genius girl letting the bad boy get up her skirt and leaving her with nothing. No thank you.

"_But maybe you want him to try,"_ whispered the impulsive, bad-decision-making part of her brain. _"It's not like he's_ _giving you those dreams on purpose. Something about you _likes_ them. And him in particular."_

No. No! As the two of them hiked across the fields, Seifer slightly in the lead by virtue of his longer legs, Quistis half-glared at his back. Ruthlessly she admitted he was aesthetically pleasing, but ONLY aesthetically. Aside from his legendary arrogance, he was also disrespectful in her class; in fact, everything she'd made his fictional counterpart apologize for was something _he_ had done.

It was very easy to imagine Seifer on his knees before her, hands on the ground, looking up at her with semi-frightened eyes as he said, "I'm sorry for talking back. I'm sorry for treating your curriculum like a joke. I'm sorry for rolling my eyes at you whenever I disagree with something you say, knowing full well you can see me from the front of the class."

...actually, it wasn't easy to imagine him saying all that, but it felt _really nice_ to imagine him doing it. Quistis almost tripped over a rock as heat shivered inside her body.

Quistis eyed Seifer's back. He was walking on without a care in the world, sensibly staying silent for once, and it occurred to her that there was no one around for miles. As her mind began to tend toward disciplinary methods that ended with Seifer tied up and panting in the grass, she justified the squirm of guilt away by telling herself that if she took a more active role in her _conscious_ imagination, then she wouldn't be at the mercy of her oversexed subconscious.

Unconsciously Quistis licked her lips as she thought about knocking Seifer's feet out from under him with a low sweeping kick, rolling him onto his back, and pinning him down while she utterly humilated him with a scathing lecture. He'd object, of course, but that was when she'd turn the sleeves of his own coat against him and tie him up. _That_ was when she would discover that big bad Seifer Almasy was secretly a sub and was bratting around in hopes that one day Quistis would _finally_ show him a thing or two...

"_I could do it..." _She thought. She would never _actually_ do that, it was assaulting a student, but the possibility that she could... Ooh. A delicious dark shiver purred below her stomach and made her hips feel warm and heavy. It made walking a lot more interesting.

The sound of whirring wings cut through her heated imagination like a cleaver and Quistis immediately turned to face the swarm of Bite Bugs that had surged up out of the long grass. Seifer was unslinging his backpack and unclipping Hyperion from his belt with a grin, but Quistis was faster. Plus, remembering that she was supposed to be a professional and an Instructor right now instead of a horny girl daydreaming her life away made Quistis irritated, and without bothering to say anything she stepped forward to deal with the annoyances. Stupid Bite Bugs, ruining a perfectly good time...

Three of them. It would take maybe three hits. Quistis uncoiled her chain whip and gave it a good hard crack for her own focus more than anything else. Feeling the ripple of motion down her preferred weapon made Quistis automatically exhale and her vision sharpen to the point where the only things that existed were her, the terrain, and the enemies. Her blood transformed to something as bright and fast as mercury as Quistis leapt into battle, running toward the clarity that she knew she needed.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I have always found it patently hilarious that people think women don't have as high sex drives as men. Ever since I became aware of the concept of sex, I have been extraordinarily curious about it and I find that no few highly intelligent women feel the same. The comorbidity between bookishness and a terror of desire is not that high, either, but then again I know a very narrow set. I certainly don't claim to speak for everyone. But I'll admit that one of the biggest reasons I started writing this story was because I wanted to show that women can be horny as shit too, just as often and just as bad as we think men are.

/\/\/\/\/\


	3. Chapter 3

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

2 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

Too much time spent dragging the past up

I didn't see you not looking when I messed up

/\/\/\/\/\

Seifer tried to be cool when he was out in the field with Quistis. Being polite and professional was the best way to go considering all the weirdness lately, though when she contacted him out of the blue to take his GF test, he felt a shudder of horror go down his back. She knew. Oh Hyne, holy shit. She knew. She knew that he knew!

But maybe she didn't, because Quistis seemed perfectly fine with walking in silence, killing Bite Bugs and other annoyances on their way to the Lightning Forest. Seifer had never taken the opportunity to study her fighting style before and whatever thoughts he'd had about whips before were rapidly replaced by admiration. Quistis's chain whip was razor-edged and even glancing blows could flay flesh from bone. Supremely flexible and possessing a range that even a spear would be hard-pressed to match, it was anything but a silly weapon in her hands.

"So what drew you to the whip?" Seifer asked her as she turned a Bite Bug into red mist.

"Hmm?" She flicked her wrist and expertly caught the returning coils, her reinforced gauntlets catching the iron fletchettes.

"The whip. Why do you like it?"

She sighed, which made Seifer realize he was probably the hundredth person this year to ask her that. He wanted to kick himself for sounding like a Trepie, but Quistis answered patiently enough.

"I started off with martial arts," she said in a bored tone that made Seifer cringe a little. "After using both the jian and a rope dart, I wanted something that combined what I loved about both weapons. Hence the chain whip."

"Ah," said Seifer. He must have sounded awkward because she glanced at him, one brow quirking. She wasn't wearing her reading glasses today, which meant there was nothing between him and her arch look.

"You really didn't know?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Hm." They walked on in silence for a bit before she unexpectedly said, "I'm sorry. I'm used to people asking me the same questions over and over, sometimes even when they know the answer."

"Sounds annoying."

"It is," she said, gratification tingeing her voice. But almost immediately she said, "Don't tell anyone I said that, please."

"Anyone with brains should know," said Seifer.

Quistis looked back at him, stunned, before laughing unexpectedly. The sheer weirdness of making cool, composed Quistis Trepe laugh made Seifer stop in his tracks.

"Sorry," she said again, waving her hand as though she could brush her loss of composure away. "Let's keep going."

So they kept walking, except Seifer realized that Quistis was very pretty when she laughed and he wondered if she did that often...

"_Probably not. She's so serious."_

SeeD at fifteen, Instructor at seventeen. Not for the first time Seifer realized that while her peers had been giggling about crushes and pranking their classmates, Quistis had already been in the field. He'd always been envious of her talent, but abruptly realized that she stood alone. She had friends in Dr. Kadowaki and Xu, but both of them were substantially older. Fujin and Raijin were about Seifer's age and despite their positions at the Garden, they got into plenty of dumb teenager shit. It was great.

But Quistis...

"Hey," he said.

"Hm?"

"When we get Quetzcoatl, let's go to Balamb to celebrate."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around, her face scrunched in confusion. "What?"

"Not like a date," said Seifer immediately, and he saw some of the bewilderment leave her. "Just... Hey, job well done. Also ice cream."

Quistis blinked and stared at him for long enough that he began to get nervous, and when Seifer got nervous, he got irritated. "What?"

"I just..." She shook her head slowly. "It wouldn't be appropriate."

"I know," he said, feeling an irrational surge of disappointment. "Nevermind. Forget I asked."

Quistis opened her mouth and closed it, but Seifer pretended like he hadn't seen her on the verge of saying something and pushed ahead, breathing through the annoying ache in his chest. He was aware of Quistis following a step behind.

"Seifer..."

"What?"

"...I'm very impressed with how hard you've been working this year."

Her voice was soft and almost apologetic, and when he glanced at her over his shoulder she was looking down at the ground, very unlike her usual alert self.

"And I also want to thank you for... Being a positive role model to everyone in class, especially lately."

Now Seifer stopped and looked at her, his turn to be confused. "What?"

Quistis stopped and sighed in aggravation, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look... I know I'm not the best Instructor and I should be able to understand and relate to all my students, and I... I'm sorry. I don't feel like I've been able to do that with you. It's my problem that I don't know how to... How to relate to you, I guess."

What the fuck was this?

"I just wanted to get ice cream," he told her. "You're acting like we broke up or something."

"Oh, forget it," Quistis huffed, starting to walk again. Now more confused than ever, Seifer followed after her and said nothing.

/\/\/\

It was just ice cream. And she _liked_ ice cream.

Quistis wasn't sure what she was more annoyed about, that she'd given a rote response and gotten such a rude brushoff, that she'd actually tried to apologize and been made fun of (breaking up, indeed!) or that when Seifer had suggested going out, her heart had skipped a beat.

Hormones. It was just hormones.

Quistis told herself sternly that she did not like Seifer Almasy. He wasn't exactly a bully, but he could be overbearing and downright mean, he was definitely arrogant, and the fact that he had some authority as the head of the Disciplinary Committee only heightened those negative attributes. If he'd been less good-looking, he would have been universally hated, but as it was, there were Almasy fangirls at the Garden who just loooved his bad-boy attitude and made no secret of throwing themselves at him. Quistis thought uncharitably that he probably took advantage of that, because what boy wouldn't? And that was what he was, an overgrown boy.

"_And I'm his teacher,"_ she thought with a mixture of irritation and shame. Why did she let him annoy her so much? It was a fact that boys matured more slowly than girls and though they were the same age, Quistis considered herself very much a woman and Seifer very much a boy (mentally, anyway) still. Which meant that she should be understanding, mature, communicative...

...not getting upset over ice cream.

"_Well, I'd give the same answer to anybody else," _she told herself. _"It's just not professional."_

Professionalism was her mantra, her formula to success. She cloaked herself in it as they laid eyes on the Lightning Forest.

From a distance, the Lightning Forest was a beautiful glistening jewel on the horizon made of white-barked trees with silvery leaves and miniature lightning that crackled through the foliage every time the wind blew. Up close it was decidedly more deadly, as the white carpet that lay on the forest floor was not only due to a layer of shed leaves, but also weak animals unfortunate to wander into the forest and get killed by lightning bolts that blasted out of the trees themselves. Fortunately the lightning blasts were easy to recognize since the trees would start to glow before firing off lightning, and there was usually plenty of time to get something between oneself and said tree. Quistis had been in the Lightning Forest many times, as well as the Fire Cavern and the Ice Beach, and knew their vagaries well.

The Garden staff at the entrance told them to pick a time, and Seifer chose a reasonable time of twenty minutes. The Fire Cavern and Ice Beach could be cleared in ten with proper preparation, but there was no good source of Water magic around to hit Quetzlcoatl with, which made getting the lightning GF a good bit more difficult. Quistis hoped Seifer could clear the course quickly, if only so this trip would be done with sooner. She got the impression he was still annoyed with her, which made her annoyed with him. At least he was quiet. Seifer had been very quiet, actually, which struck Quistis as strange until she realized he was focusing on the task at hand.

As soon as they entered the forest, Seifer's stride shifted subtly to become less of a swagger and more of a prowl and his eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the area. As his support, Quistis hung back and waited for direction. Her job was to observe and get him out in case things got too bad, but she had the feeling that the only way Seifer would leave the forest was either in triumph or unconscious defeat, probably because of his tendency to jump ahead and make rash decisions.

"Bolt, three o' clock," said Seifer, making Quistis's eyes flick to the right. One of the white trees was shimmering, and since the lightning was attracted to organic specimens, Quistis and Seifer stepped behind two non-glowing trees and waited until the bolt exploded out. Seifer flinched as the lightning struck the tree he was hiding behind, making it crackle briefly with white light before settling back underneath the bark.

Aside from the trees there was another complication to the Lightning Forest, and that was Quetzlcoatl itself. Being birdlike in form, the lightning GF never stayed in one place for long and in Quistis's experience, most of the testing time was used to locate where the damn thing actually was. As the minutes ticked by, Seifer started to get visibly annoyed.

"Come on," he muttered, looking around. He broke into a trot without saying anything and Quistis rolled her eyes before following. In theory speed would be helpful, but not if it made one too tired to fight Quetzlcoatl later. They dodged three more bolts before Seifer swore and sheathed his gunblade.

"Giving up?" Quistis asked evenly.

He glared at her over his shoulder. "You wish. Wait here."

She folded her arms across her chest and was about to deliver a scathing retort when Seifer started climbing the nearest tree. White light flared from underneath the bark where his hands and feet touched the tree, each point of impact blooming with miniature lightning.

"What are you doing?" Quistis demanded, running up to the tree.

"Getting a better view," Seifer shot back. For all his size, he could climb like a monkey and within seconds, disappeared into the canopy of the tree. Quistis paced around the base, worry fluttering in her heart. Seifer wouldn't be the first student who'd tried climbing the trees, but the reason that very few students did so was because contact with said trees often made the trees charge up and release lightning into the nearest organic, which in every case was the student up in its branches. These releases could be debilitating. Quistis was on the verge of calling the test off and telling Seifer to get down, but there was a crashing noise above her head and Seifer dropped down to her side in a spray of silver leaves. She saw a grin on his face.

"Northwest," he said, straightening. "Let's go."

"What would you have done if you'd been electrocuted into unconsciousness?" Quistis demanded as they set off.

Seifer laughed. "I'd tell Raijin he got his ass kicked by a tree. His high fives hurt more than that."

Quistis wanted to be annoyed, but it was surprisingly difficult to keep her mouth twisted into a line of disapproval when all she wanted to do was chuckle. She knew there had to be something wrong if she was amused by his insouciance, but honestly...

"_It's a nice change from boys who stammer or clam up, or who otherwise choke."_

Five minutes later the air above them became oppressively thick and when Quistis looked up, a green-gold form swept over their heads. Seifer grinned.

"Finally," he said, tracking the lightning GF with his eyes. "Let's go."

They ran lightly through the forest, dodging bolts and weaving their way through dense white trees, until they popped into a clearing and Quetzlcoatl was suddenly there, waving its wings gently in the air.

"So," it said in a voice that came from no mouth and buzzed like bees in Seifer's ears. "You wish to subdue me."

"Make it easy on yourself," he said, raising his gunblade.

Quetzlcoatl fired a ball of lightning from its eyeless head that Seifer adroitly dodged, though a tree behind him was reduced to snow-white splinters. Quistis dodged too, going into a roll, and as she sprang to her feet Seifer shouted, "Instructor, Scan it!"

She dragged a film of para-magic over her eyes, information flooding her brain before vanishing like a puff of smoke. "5940 HP, weak to water," she called back.

"Tch." Seifer lunged at the lightning GF and managed to hit it, which made Quistis wince; Quetzlcoatl's elemental affinity made it so anybody who connected with a metal weapon got a nasty shock. But Seifer either didn't care or wasn't affected, because he sliced at the GF again and said, "Cover me with magic! I'm taking this thing down."

"Are you truly?" Quetzlcoatl seemed to ask, rolling away from a third strike. "Do you know who you're speaking to?"

"My next pet," said Seifer with a grin. Quistis sighed.

The battle was short and furious. Quistis stayed at the sidelines and cast Fire spells at need, distracting Quetzlcoatl from hitting Seifer with more of those deadly lightning balls. She was not surprised he was so willing to engage up close and personal, but what actually shocked her was how Seifer ignored pain, magic, and fatigue to hammer away at Quetzlcoatl until the GF finally bowed its head in defeat. As it vanished and left a summonstone on the ground, Quistis took a moment to Scan Seifer.

"_He's eighty percent down, but you'd never known it from the way he's acting..."_ thought Quistis as Seifer picked up the summonstone and grinned. He flipped it into the air and caught it in a pocket, practically aglow with satisfaction.

"Nice work," she told him. "Though you might make better use of your teammates."

He tsked. "Being my teammate means staying out of my way. Besides, your whip is all metal."

"Except the handle," said Quistis, showing him her weapon. "Which is very well insulated. I would have been able to attack Quetzlcoatl and take less than half the damage you did with every blow."

Seifer tsked again, but this time with more annoyance.

They headed for the exit. Quistis knew approximately where it was, but Seifer scaled another tree and dropped down again to confirm. He did not heal himself, which struck Quistis as patently stupid. When she brought it to his attention, Seifer only shrugged.

"I still feel fine," he said.

"And will you indeed be as fine when we are crossing the plains back to the Garden?" She pointed out.

"The hard part is done," he said with a little stretch. "And it's your responsibility to get me back alive."

She arched her brow at him. "So you're saying, 'Help me, Instructor. I am too lazy and weak to take care of myself.'"

Seifer stopped in the path. As he looked over his shoulder with a distinctly annoyed expression, she saw his eyes flick up and without warning he lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. Quistis didn't have time to do anything other than let out a extremely girly squeak as Seifer stepped behind a tree and dragged her to him, flattening his back against the trunk. A half-second later, a painless impact made the air crackle as errant lightning blasted the tree they were hiding behind.

"Sorry," he said, letting go of her wrist and not looking her in the eyes. "Not out yet."

"No," she said, startled by his particular reaction. It hadn't been unreasonable in the least, but the shock of their bodies being pressed together was more stunning than the Quetzlcoatl's thunder had been. Quistis swallowed against the sudden hammering of her heart, which was probably reacting to adrenaline more than anything else. She couldn't remember if she'd ever been this close to anyone, let alone a member of the opposite sex.

And she had to be imagining the blush on Seifer's cheeks. Seifer Almasy did not blush.

To cover her lapse, Quistis briskly pressed a Cure spell into Seifer's chest and saw a healthier color return to the skin she could see above the v-neck of his shirt. She thought she felt the lightest intake of breath at her touch, but when Quistis looked up, Seifer was all but rolling his eyes. Nevertheless she could feel something like heat shimmering out from her body, unnerving her with its very existence. Quistis stepped back and walked away, making Seifer have to catch up behind her.

They exited the Lightning Forest with about a minute to spare. The town of Balamb glittered on the horizon, an hour's walk away down the paved road, and Quistis hesitated. She really did like ice cream and Seifer had performed very well...

"_But people will talk. And it's not professional."_

So she walked back to the Garden with Seifer in silence and mentally composed her next quiz to get rid of the strange thickness in her heart.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I made up some geographical locations to explain where Shiva and Quetzalcoatl came from. Fun fact, I had to keep going back and taking out A's in Queztacoatl's name for this chapter because I knew of the bird before I knew of the GF and enough spelling bee training remains in me that it's hard for me to consciously misspell something. It actually got a bit torturous later in the chapter.

/\/\/\/\/\


	4. Chapter 4

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

3 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

Song suggestion: "Passing By" by Beatbox Guitar

/\/\/\/\/\

A week later there was a fight in the cafeteria between two underclassmen girls, which Seifer happened to witness on his way for lunch. Grumbling at the length of the line for food, he nevertheless dropped out of it and vaulted the short stonework planter between him and the fighters, startling everyone who was egging them on but not actually stopping the girls themselves. That, Seifer did by seizing the backs of their jackets and hauling them apart, holding them at arm's length like he'd do for boys.

"This makes me sad," he said, making eye contact with each furious girl. "It's a beautiful day, I was about to get some lunch, and you two made me lose my place. What is going on?"

They started shrieking at the same time, so Seifer shook them like puppies until they settled down. Predictably it turned out to be some miscommunication about boyfriends (boyfriends at twelve! Clearly they didn't have enough homework) who weren't actually boyfriends, just good friends that one had unrequited and possessive feelings for. Seifer let them go after a canned lecture on the importance of communication and glanced back at the line, which was gone. Because the cafeteria was now closed. Seifer grumbled, because of course this would happen during the last lunch period of the day. The Garden never wanted its students to starve of course, but the lunch ladies sure could bitch if you asked them to do anything after they were done cleaning up...

"_Five hours until dinner,"_ thought Seifer with a grumble. "_At least there's always the vending machines."_

As he turned to go in search of said machines, a flash of particular sunny blonde hair caught his eye and Seifer glanced at a nearby table to see Instructor Trepe eating ice cream. It was a bizarre combination, one scoop of strawberry and another scoop of mint chocolate chip, but what made Seifer really scowl was that opposite her, arms folded across his chest and looking thoroughly unimpressed, was Squall Leonhart.

"_So she'll get ice cream with him, but not me. Hypocrite."_

Now in a fouler mood than he wanted to admit, Seifer stomped out of the cafeteria and was unaware that no few people turned to look at him. Including Quistis Trepe, who first frowned at him and then flushed.

"_Oops," _she thought guiltily, looking at Squall. Squall seemed mildly intrigued by Seifer's bad mood, but was even more uncommunicative as usual. She'd stopped by after getting ice cream to see what was bothering him, but so far he'd been silent as the grave. Nevertheless Quistis was determined not to give up on him, because of all her students, Squall was the most stubborn.

Well... Tied with the most stubborn.

The ice cream seemed to take on a bitter taste, so Quistis finally left Squall alone like he clearly wanted to be and ate the rest of her treat in the sunshine, outside in the yard. The sunshine helped but she still felt like she did something wrong, and remembering the angry set of Seifer's shoulders made the ache in her chest return. She couldn't blame him for being angry, of course. In her place, she'd feel exactly the same...

Quistis had actually gone through something very similar as a student, except she had asked for her instructor's feedback on a paper and he'd told her that hers was perfect, which was great... Except she'd wanted to spend more time with him. And seeing him in the library later, tutoring one of the slower students...

"_That was six years ago," _she realized abruptly. _"And it still hurts."_

It absolutely shouldn't. Her instructor had just been doing his job. But when you wanted to do well and the figure you respected didn't want anything to do with you...

"_No, no, no, that's stupid. Seifer has never once asked for any help on any of my material, or any material. He studies hard and improves by himself. He doesn't need to spend time with me..._

"_...as an Instructor."_

Quistis squirmed. She really, really, _really _did not want to think of the possibility that Seifer Almasy had a _crush_ on her and she had just broken his heart by accident. This was very different than turning down a Trepie with stars in his or her eyes, because that was nipping something in the bud before it could be a problem. But men didn't stomp off like that unless they were really hurt...

"_No, no, no!" _Quistis's practical mind seemed to slap her upside the head. _"More than likely, it has _nothing_ to do you with you! Maybe he missed lunch. And you saw him break up that fight. It probably left a bad taste in his mouth. Don't be so obsessed with thinking that he cares about what _you're _doing. You certainly don't care about what he's doing."_

That was very true. In fact, the longer Quistis thought about it, the more she decided that Seifer was probably in a bad mood over something entirely different. In fact, he was usually in a bad mood, wasn't he? Or imminently about to be in one? Yes, that was it. He was just having a bad day, and the fact that he saw her eating ice cream with Squall only made her feel guilty because she'd turned him down and was still thinking about it a week later.

...Oops.

Quistis groaned softly and covered her face. She really hadn't wanted to admit that to herself. It just wasn't fair that the one time Seifer had tried to reach out and have a personal connection with a faculty member for the first time ever, it had to be with her and she was all weird about it because she'd spent days thinking about how good he'd look on his knees in front of her. For the first time since the trip to the Lightning Forest, Quistis replayed their conversation but pretended that she didn't see Seifer as anything other than a problem student. If her feelings for him had been chaste, _she would have said yes without a thought. _Because she had finally connected and built a relationship with him. And sure, it would have been awkward after when people started gossiping, but if Quistis was honest, gossip came and went every day, especially about her. Could she not take it?

Apparently not.

"_Now what do I do?"_ She thought glumly, resting her elbows on her knees and cradling her chin in her hands. _"I need to clear the air somehow, but I can't think of a thing to say that won't make things end badly... And I hate talking about feelings in person."_

She should have just put Squall in that sexy story instead. At least he didn't talk to her in real life, so things couldn't get awkward.

"_That's actually a good point," _she realized suddenly. _"I only feel this way about Seifer because I crossed a line. Theoretically... If I drew another story, crossing that same line again, the effect should be lessened. And I'll stop being bothered."_

And Seifer could have as many bad moods as he wanted, because none of them had to do with her.

Feeling a bit better about things, Quistis checked the time. Her classes were done for the day, which meant that she had until dinnertime to thumbnail a new installment in her "Bad Teacher" series.

/\/\/\

a/n: Short update now, long update later.

/\/\/\


	5. Chapter 5

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

4 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

Afraid of change, afraid of staying the same  
When temptation calls, we just look away

/\/\/\/\/\

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Seifer near-snarled at his computer. He was still on the pay site and a new story had just appeared, this one featuring _Quinn the Bad Teacher _taking an active role in jumping _Tempest._ Normally Seifer liked when ladies knew themselves enough to be in charge, but seeing Quistis graphically depict how she wanted to tie Squall to a tree and blow him until he told her his secrets just made him pissed. Not because Quistis was a freak, because he'd known that already.

No, he was mad because for the past two weeks, the memory of holding her close in the Lightning Forest popped up at the stupidest moments.

At the time, it honestly hadn't been a sexy thing. He'd looked over his shoulder, seen they were about to get zapped by a bolt, and had swung them both out of the way before he could lose points for inattention. And he hadn't given that a moment's thought until that night, when he idly wondered if the look of surprise on her face was due entirely to the sudden manhandling or something more...fun.

She hadn't exactly been bad to hold either. Seifer had always assumed that SeeD women were solid muscle and watching Quistis fight had only cemented that impression even as he was deeply impressed by her abilities. It was hard to believe considering how efficient and deadly Quistis was when in motion, because the woman that Seifer had been fighting alongside wasn't anything like soft or warm. The cold look of focus in her eyes aside, Quistis fought _hard, _utilizing her entire body instead of just her arms, and between the wide, powerful stances she took, the hard twists coming from the hips and waist, and the almost-too-fast to see SNAP of her arm, it was easy to label Quistis as just a killing machine. Except something in Seifer's predator heart stirred when he watched Quistis move. Power, control, mastery—they were all turn-ons, though Seifer didn't consider himself to be into S&amp;M. It was more like arousal mixing with respect. Quistis was the Prodigal SeeD and worthy of respect.

At the same time, she had been warm and surprisingly soft when she'd been tight against him, especially her breasts and the long, elastic plane of her stomach. He remembered the pressure of her legs against his and their hips pressed together so closely that the memory made Seifer shift with growing desire. He tried to tell himself it was just physicality, but there had been something endearingly girlish about the startled look on Quistis's face, reminding Seifer that for all her accomplishments, Quistis was his age. She was still a teenage girl, probably shy and inexperienced...

"_And with the randiest mind I know..."_

The problem with being on a website with vast archives of porn was that _he was on a website with vast archives of porn, _and knowing that professional, deadly, inexperienced Quistis was into this created a study of contrasts that Seifer kept returning to. Seifer sometimes caught himself spacing out in Quistis's direction while she was teaching, wondering how she'd react if he came up to her and kissed her, or even just held her again. Would she look at him with the cold blue eyes of a professional SeeD? Or would she stare up at him, uncertain and trembling, sweet pink lips parted with subtle invitation? Would she laugh, grab his lapels, and do _everything _that he knew her imagination was capable of? Now that he knew the warmth of her skin and the pressure of her body (especially the softness of her breasts against his chest; it was very easy to translate _that_ particular sensation into an explicit situation), Seifer wondered if he'd ever get the opportunity to feel it again.

Nevertheless Seifer had mostly thought of fantasizing as a fun way to kill time, but the darkness that surged in his heart when he saw that Quistis wanted to bang someone else was very telling. To his dismay, Seifer realized he was jealous.

"_You fucking pussy," _snarled his inner voice. _"Look at you, getting all whiny like some pimple-faced 'nice guy' who thinks every girl winking at him wants to suck his dick. You aren't dating. You haven't even kissed her. You're pathetic for getting this worked up, especially when there's plenty of other girls who'd hop to if you snapped your fingers. You dumb asshole."_

There was only one thing to do with an excess of angry energy. Seifer put on his coat, checked Hyperion, and went to the Training Center, the favored area for students doing shit they shouldn't. He, Fujin, and Raijin had cleaned up the drugs a while back, but that didn't mean there wasn't some other wrongdoing going on, and barring that, he could use the practice.

It was around eleven at night when Seifer went into the Training Center. The Grats he destroyed on the way to the secret area were pathetically easy, and as he entered the protected room, he heard distinctive noises from the other side of the wall. Seifer paused in the hallway and wondered just how much of a shit he should be.

"_I'm in a bad mood, so..."_

Seifer banged the butt of Hyperion on the tunnel's metal wall, hearing a masculine and feminine scream as he made himself known.

"Seifer of the DC!" He shouted, making the feminine voice swear. "One of you had better not be underage!"

"Fuck off, Seifer," snapped the female voice. Abruptly he realized it was Xu and he nearly cracked his face with a grin.

"Oh, nevermind," he said viciously, backing down the hall before Xu could come out and kick his ass. "Carry on, geriatrics. And just in case you're not past your childbearing years..."

Seifer liked to be prepared for all sorts of situations that the Disciplinary Committee ran into, so he reached into an inner pocket, pulled out a couple of condoms, and threw them into the secret area, where they landed with soft paps on the floor.

Xu's enraged screech sent him speeding down the hall with a laugh, though it wasn't until he came out into the training center proper that he realized someone had been watching his entire performance. Quistis Trepe stood outside, hands on hips and battle-ready, though she didn't look like she wanted to kick his ass at the moment.

"Was that really necessary?" She asked in her best frosty teacher voice.

"Nah," said Seifer, flushed with schadenfreude. "But it was pretty funny, don't you think?"

He saw the corner of her mouth twitch. "No," she said, or tried to say sternly. A snicker burst out and though she turned primly away, it was already too late. Seifer grinned until he heard the echo of angry footsteps down a metal floor.

"Time to go," said Seifer, glancing around for a good hiding place. Bitch or not, Xu was a full SeeD and could probably kick him from one end of the Training Area to another. Banking on his long experience of finding wrongdoers in the damndest places, Seifer sheathed Hyperion and ran for the nearest tree. A few months ago he'd had a kleptomaniac who had hidden all her treasures in the trees, so since then Seifer had practiced tree climbing just in case. He managed to get himself hidden and turned around to watch the show, but nearly jumped out of his skin when a whipcrack on the other side of the tree sounded like a gun had gone off next to his head.

"Get your own tree," he hissed at Quistis as she hauled herself up her chain whip. Her gloves were _very_ reinforced.

"I panicked," she hissed back. "Shut up."

They both shut up as Xu burst out of the tunnel from the secret area, lightning crackling in both her hands and murder in her eyes. Seifer had to stuff his fist into his mouth to keep from laughing aloud as she spun in furious circles, never once looking up. A moment later, a shamefaced SeeD from Trabia emerged from the tunnel and he heard Quistis gasp softly.

"Come on," said the Trabian SeeD to Xu. "It wasn't that bad."

"Ooh, I _hate _that little bastard!" Xu exclaimed, the lightning puffing from her hands. Seifer silently gestured at Xu, making sure he had eye contact with Quistis. Quistis glared at him and said nothing.

"But he did kind of do us a favor," said the Trabian SeeD with a little laugh. "He left us three of them."

"I'm not using Seifer-condoms," said Xu, folding her arms. "They're probably expired. Or have holes punched in them."

"_Only if I want Dr. Kadowaki to kill me for passing out bad goods,"_ thought Seifer; it had been her idea to make sure the DC were supplied, just in case. Boy, had that been an awkward conversation.

"I checked," said the Trabian SeeD. "Well within use date and no marks anywhere. So..."

Xu grumbled as he embraced her, but her annoyed noises became distinctly softer and more heated when he began to nibble on her ear. Seifer glanced at Quistis, who was looking rather pink and incredibly awkward.

"_Oh, so you can draw it, but you can't actually watch it, can you?" _He thought with a smirk.

On the other hand, Seifer did not want to see Xu naked and going at it right underneath the tree where he and Quistis were hiding, so he ignored the intensifying noises below as he searched for a way out. After a few minutes, Seifer found one of the warty green fruits that the students jokingly called 'monkey brains' and straightened cautiously to pluck it off the branch.

"What are you doing?" Quistis hissed as he eased himself back down into a crouch. Balancing on his toes, Seifer silently held up a finger to his lips and drew back the softball-sized, bowling-ball heavy fruit. Seifer saw Quistis's eyes widen with horror and she gasped almost too loud. "No! Don't you dare! They'll see us!"

"Watch and learn," he whispered back, making her glare at him furiously. Seifer lobbed the fruit out of the tree, aiming for an area that he'd taken care to avoid the last three or four times he'd been in the training center. He listened for a thump and then grinned as he heard a furious screech of Grats in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Quistis cover her mouth in shock.

Seifer barely managed to keep his balance in the tree for stuffing back laughter as no less than five Grats burst from their nest and started running around, looking for the source of the disturbance. As soon as the monsters broke cover, Xu and her paramour noticed and redressed with curses, managing to sprint out just before they were stampeded by the enraged plant-beings. As soon as they were out of sight, Seifer finally let loose the laugh he had been holding back.

"That was _horrible_," said Quistis, her voice tight with suppressed laughter of her own. When he looked at her, she turned away again and he heard her muffling her giggles.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Seifer, not sorry at all. "Did you want to see them make the beast with two backs?"

"Ugh! No!"

"Neither did I. And by the way, I was right."

"Right? About...oh." Quistis sighed. "It was just the heat of the moment speaking. I'm sure she doesn't actually hate you."

"Nah," said Seifer, gripping the branch to sling himself out of the tree. "She's always hated me. And don't say I'm mistaken, because I would definitely know better than you."

In this case, getting down was not easier than getting up. After hanging for a moment, Seifer decided to suck it up and just drop to the ground, though he lessened the impact by swinging a little and turning the forward momentum into a force-eating roll as he hit the floor. Quistis climbed back down her whip and released it from the branch with a flick.

"So what are you doing here so late at night?" He asked her.

"I was going for a walk," she said. "And then I saw you heading off here by yourself."

"Aww, were you worried about me?"

"Could you handle a T-Rexaur alone?"

She said it like a teacher, not like she didn't take him seriously, so Seifer thought about it and shrugged. "I'd run," he admitted. "I don't want that big of a fight tonight."

"Where are Fujin and Raijin?"

"Let's see... It's Wednesday, so Fujin is probably checking the Quad and Raijin is checking the Parking Lot." At Quistis's look of surprise, Seifer laughed and said, "What? You think we don't do anything at night?"

"No, no..." She waved her hand. Seifer noticed her gloves weren't even scratched. What were they made out of? "I'm just surprised you're not running around together."

"Sometimes we're more effective when we're apart," said Seifer. "And what are your gloves made out of, anyway?"

"My gloves?"

"Yeah. They've gotta be tough, if you're climbing up your whip like a rope."

"Oh. They're dyed Marlboro skin."

"_Marlboro_ skin?" Seifer exclaimed. Quistis self-consciously tucked her hair over her ear.

"I bought them as a treat for myself after my first successful mission," said Quistis, sounding slightly defensive. "I got a bonus."

"I'm not objecting. If you're going to treat yourself, treat yourself right. Damn," said Seifer, shaking his head in admiration. "Most women I know would get a purse."

"And how many women do you know?" Quistis asked him, arching a brow.

"Ah... A few," said Seifer, choosing not to betray Fujin's love of purses. He swore she just collected the things and never used them, not that you ever said so to her face.

"Well, _I_ like practical gifts," said Quistis, stretching. "So are you done for the night or is this the middle of your patrol?"

"It's not an official patrol..." said Seifer slowly, eyeing her. "Why?"

"I..." Quistis bit her lip, casting her gaze to the side. "I wanted to clear the air."

Her words felt like a punch in the heart but Seifer kept his voice light as he asked, "What about?"

"Um..." She laughed, shaking her head. "It's stupid, and I'm sure you've forgotten all about it. But when we went to the Lightning Forest a bit over a week ago and you asked...if we...could go get ice cream afterward, and I said no..."

"I remember," said Seifer cautiously, feeling his pulse start to ramp up. Stupid pulse.

"I meant it back then, when I said it wasn't professional," she said, making him roll his eyes a bit. "So... I wanted to ask if you if you were angry a couple days ago when I was eating ice cream with Squall in the Cafeteria."

The temptation to be an asshole was great. Seifer considered making Quistis feel incredibly stupid by saying no, he hadn't seen any such thing, what the hell was she talking about, why was she so stuck up that she thought he paid attention to anything she did. And he entertained that option seriously for about two seconds before realizing that there was no point. She'd get mad, storm off, and nothing would change.

And Seifer didn't exactly want anything to change, he didn't dare to hope for it, but he just...didn't like how awkward things were now. And it had to cost her to say this stuff, because she couldn't even look him in the eye.

"I...was...kinda pissed," he admitted, feeling abruptly like he was ten years old again. When Quistis looked at him in surprise, Seifer bristled and said, "Come on! Plenty of students would love to get extra time with you and that jackass just sits there like a bump on a log. The least he could do is make small talk but no, he just sits there..."

Seifer folded his arms across his chest, dropped his head slightly, and imitated Squall's slouch. He fully expected Quistis to be annoyed at that, but he saw her face twitch again and she covered her mouth.

"Stop making me laugh at things that aren't funny!" She told him.

"Stop pretending they aren't funny," he retorted, straightening.

They looked at each other in semi-belligerent silence for a while before Quistis straightened glasses that weren't there and leaned back on her heel, folding her arms.

"Well, that's it," she said. "I wanted to apologize for making you feel like I threw your gesture in your face."

"Well, that's very nice of you," he said, folding his own arms. "So. Strawberry and mint chocolate chip."

"The mint and the strawberry clear away the cloying sweetness of the chocolate and cream. It's a good balance. What do you get?"

Seifer debated blackmailing her into getting ice cream with him for real as long as she was being friendly, but that would be an asshole move. "Black walnut."

"That one is pretty good too," said Quistis. "I haven't eaten it in years..."

"I like it," said Seifer, suddenly aware of how bizarre the conversation had become. Quistis seemed to think the same thing, because they stared awkwardly at each other and then at anywhere but each other. "Uh... I'm gonna...patrol."

"I'll support you," she said, grateful for something to do. Seifer nodded and they walked off, dispatching Grats and dodging a dozing T-Rexaur. It took about an hour to clear the Training Center and most of that was spent in silence, which was better than awkward conversation. It let Quistis think, though that wasn't relaxing either. She didn't know how to feel about knowing that she had actually hurt his feelings, that he was annoyed that Squall wasn't giving her his respect, and that Seifer liked an ice cream she'd nearly forgotten the taste of. She didn't know what to make of Seifer as a person, nor what to make of the fact that Seifer had made her laugh more frequently in the past two weeks than anyone in the past two months. Unless you counted friends, of course, but Seifer wasn't a friend. He was a student, _her_ student, and he was also not an abstract whose image she could use without consequences. Unconsciously Quistis sighed aloud, thinking of the corner she'd painted herself into.

"So..." said Seifer unexpectedly.

"Huh?"

"Any idea when the field test might be?"

"Sorry, no," she told him. Things had been quiet around the world lately, which was nice for civilians and not so nice for the Garden. Seifer grunted and they kept walking. She eyed his back, sourly realizing that even up until a day ago, she would have been imagining all sorts of inappropriate scenarios with him in it, but she knew him just well enough now that thinking about things got creepy. Quistis sighed again.

"You keep making that noise," he said, looking over his shoulder. "What's on your mind?"

"You wouldn't be interested."

"...Try me," said Seifer, morbidly curious. Was she thinking about sexy things? Because hey, they were alone and if she wanted to... Well, he wouldn't say no.

"_Don't get your hopes up, Almasy. Girls are only that easy in porn."_

Well, a guy could dream. Daydream. Seifer, however, chose to keep his mind in the present and out of the gutter...for now.

Quistis chewed her lip. She had listened on him breaking up the cafeteria fight, and though he'd clearly been annoyed, he hadn't been bad at getting to the root of the problem and making the girls get along. Nevertheless, the root of _her_ problem was too weird to get at...

"Oh well," she sighed, shaking her head. "Don't take this the wrong way. But I'm a little jealous of Xu. Did you know she's ten years older than I am?"

"What? Really?"

Quistis nodded. "And her SeeD number is 0001. But that's not important. Xu has never found it hard to find...companionship. But me..."

"You have standards," said Seifer, making her blink in surprise. "And there's nothing wrong with those."

"I know, but..." Quistis scuffed the ground with her toe. "It's just... It makes me a little frustrated sometimes. All the boys my age are my students and all the men who match me intellectually aren't ones I find attractive, either because they're too old or just...not attractive. And meanwhile there's Xu, hooking up with out-of-towners..."

"Trabian SeeD, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Quistis sighed. "I actually went on a mission with him once. When I was sixteen. He ruffled my hair and told me I was 'cute'." She put particular emphasis on the word to make it obvious that 'cute' was exactly not what she'd wanted to hear. That had been a very short crush.

"If it helps," said Seifer after a moment. "I don't think you're cute."

"Oh great, thanks." She rolled her eyes. "What exactly do you think I am?"

Oops. Quistis felt the awkwardness surge back in full force as she realized she actually cared about what he had to say. When Quistis looked at Seifer again, he had stopped walking and was standing very still.

"Well..." said Seifer carefully, turning to face her. "You're very good at your job. You're the smartest woman I know. And..." She saw him struggling a bit. "In terms of looks... You're...Uh..."

Seifer stalled out, rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at her. The uncomfortable thickness in the air became denser with each passing breath until Quistis decided to let him off the hook. She was half-afraid that a word might turn the low heat inside her to a boil.

"Let's just say 'conventionally attractive' and leave it at that," she suggested. "Thanks for trying, Seifer. I know I'm good-looking. I'm single by choice, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," said Seifer, sounding relieved. "Of course. Just..." To her surprise, he laughed a bit self-deprecatingly and said, "I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't get me in trouble."

"...like what?" Quistis asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Nothing bad," Seifer said, frowning at her look. "I just don't want you to think I'm hitting on you."

"I can tell the difference between a compliment and a come-on," said Quistis with some annoyance.

"Okay," said Seifer, also sounding annoyed. "Then I think you're beautiful."

"Thank you very much," she said, trying not to sound snippy. Had that really been so hard to say? Or something he honestly thought she'd give him trouble over?

"I also think you're hot as hell," he tossed out.

Now Quistis glared. "That is _not_ appropriate."

"Which is why I didn't say it in the first place," he retorted.

"You didn't have to say it now either."

"Well, you obviously don't like being called 'cute'."

"I don't like 'hot as hell' either!" said Quistis, gesturing at herself. "At least with 'cute', it's like I'm a small animal or a child. 'Hot as hell' implies sexual desire, which means that you..."

Now she remembered who she was talking to and Quistis sputtered as heat flowed up her face and stole her words. Seifer looked at her with eyes narrowed ever so slightly in confusion. A couple of weeks ago, Seifer would never have imagined that Quistis Trepe could be embarrassed, that she could be anything other than professional.

"_But she laughs. She jokes. She gets self-conscious. She's...real."_

Not that she'd ever been fake of course, just very far away. So smart, so capable, so busy. She had always been so completely out of reach that Seifer had written her off except as a _thing _that just existed, except now she wasn't a thing. She was a person. She was a girl. And now Quistis was blushing, talking honestly with him, and Seifer couldn't help but wonder how many people she interacted with like this. Definitely not many. Not with her Ice Queen reputation, though Seifer internally smirked thinking about how hot she actually ran. Knowing what he knew about her now made him feel good, like he was in on a secret and seeing more of the real her, who was a much more interesting person than he'd initially imagined.

"Tell me," Seifer asked, equal parts mystified and amused. "Is it that you don't want to be thought of as a sexy woman, or that you don't want _me_ thinking of you as a sexy woman?"

"You're my student," she replied, flabbergasted by the renewed surge of heat that went out from her chest. "It's not—"

"Appropriate, I know," said Seifer impatiently. "But we're the same age... Quistis."

She felt a weird little shiver go down her spine. Seifer seemed to sense that weakness because he took a half-step toward her and pointed, saying, "And if you weren't an Instructor, I would have asked you out already."

"What?" Quistis exclaimed, floored.

Seifer paused. Then he paled. He actually turned a shade very similar to his coat. "Shit."

"What?" Quistis exclaimed as Seifer turned on his heel and sped-walked out of the Training Center. "What!?"

"_Shitshitshit,"_ thought Seifer as he heard Quistis starting to run after him. He hadn't meant to let any of that slip out, but carried away with the headiness of competition, he'd _of course_ said the thing that was most embarrassing for both of them. He could not remember the last time he'd been so stupid in front of a woman.

Seifer heard Quistis catching up, so he walked faster, which made her jog faster, and then before Seifer knew it, he was actually running. Running like a bitch instead of talking like a normal person. Abruptly he stopped and turned around, furious with himself for fleeing, and Quistis ran straight into his chest. She hit him hard enough that they both staggered and she actually clutched her face. Seifer rubbed his chest with a wince.

Except now that they had stopped running, they had to actually do something. _Shit._

"In the interest of clearing the air," he said formally, deciding to go on the offensive. "Yes, I find you attractive. Aesthetically and also... You know." Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth, feeling his face go as red as a fire engine. "So that's it. Let's never talk about this again. Goodnight."

He turned to go but then Quistis grabbed his arm and blurted out, "I... I think you're attractive too. But I don't want to date you or anything, I just..."

"Just what?" Seifer asked against his better judgment. He could feel his blood beating hard in his veins, seeming to urge him toward Quistis. He had been trying not to think about the fact that the two of them were alone late at night with no one around. He saw that realization come over Quistis too and the most enticing blush came over her pale cheeks.

"_I should be running away,"_ thought Quistis, her breath coming light and shallow. For no good reason she was aware of the heat that seemed to roll off Seifer in waves, along with the light scent of clean sweat and a musk that was uniquely his. Quistis could feel her own blood pulsing in her chest and worse, between her legs. It was shameful how curious she suddenly was about...everything. And here was a golden opportunity, if she just reached out and took it.

"_But would I be able to look at myself tomorrow?"_

She caught a flicker of motion as Seifer reached out for her, just the barest twitch of his hand. Quistis stepped back, suddenly afraid. Something like hurt flashed across Seifer's sea-green eyes.

"I don't bite," he said quietly.

This time he reached out more deliberately and Quistis felt herself getting tenser and tenser the closer his hand came to her body. She could feel his proximity like a hot iron coming closer. When he touched her hand, she flinched at how something in her responded to his touch.

Seifer drew back, disappointment and shame roiling in his chest. Quistis was so scared that she was shaking. She couldn't even look him in the eye. He curled his hand into a fist and stepped back, breathing deeply.

"Okay," he said, keeping his voice soft and nonthreatening. Quistis's eyes flicked up to glance at him and her lips parted as though to say something, but Seifer wasn't planning to stick around to hear it. He'd had enough of this jerking around, tonight and forever. He was sick of dreams and imagined possibilities. He had better things to do than obsess over someone else's fantasies.

Quistis watched Seifer walk away, his steps becoming longer and harder until he was all but thundering. He was so angry. And at the moment, she was too. She gripped herself hard, chest heaving as she cursed her inability to just...be. To just relax. If she had, something new and maybe good would be happening now. Something that, now it was gone, she definitely knew she wanted.

"C..." She couldn't even get a word out. Even upset as she was, she couldn't say 'come back'. Would he even turn around?

Would anyone?

/\/\/\

WhippyWoman: I think I'm going to be late with my submission this month.

DangBanana: rly? everything ok?

WhippyWoman: Not really. I think I made a mistake. And there's some personal stuff too.

DangBanana: like what? if u wanna talk...

WhippyWoman: Thank you, but no. Do you remember the first Bad Teacher episode I submitted?

DangBanana: the one that got us 200 new subscribers? might ring a bell.

WhippyWoman: Well it was based on someone I know.

DangBanana: ha

WhippyWoman: Not ha. That's who the personal stuff is with. I mean, I'd hate it if someone drew smut of me without telling me, so why would I do that to him?

DangBanana: i see i see. well don't do anything u don't want to, but u know the readers like it.

WhippyWoman: I know. I have another one sort of drawn already, but then it got weird... I need time.

DangBanana: sort of drawn? How sort of?

WhippyWoman: Well it's just written.

DangBanana: written... wanna do a collab?

WhippyWoman: What do you mean?

DangBanana: msg'ing ButterASS right now &amp; she needs time too but has no story. if u give her ur script &amp; she draws...

WhippyWoman: Oh. I see. Can I give her art direction?

DangBanana: idk. probably. msg &amp; find out. gonna have to split the $ tho

WhippyWoman: Great. Thank you.

DangBanana: np

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: Coming up with the ero-comic handles made me laugh so hard. DangBanana still does.

/\/\/\/\/\


	6. Chapter 6

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

5 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

It might not be the right time  
I might not be the right one  
But there's something about us, I want to say  
'Cause there's something between us anyway

/\/\/\/\/\

The update almost escaped Seifer's notice, except a change in the pay site's layout arranged everything in thumbnails instead of by release date and while he was figuring out the new interface, he happened to see a collaboration between Quistis and another artist on the site who went by ButterASS, who according to the artist page was a woman who liked to draw really large asses. Considering that Quistis's art style was strictly anatomically correct (almost stiffly so), the fact that she was giving up artistic control to someone who was definitely more stylized was very interesting. Seifer checked his schedule, locked the door, and then clicked on the update with some mixed trepidation. Was this collaboration purely imaginative, or...?

"Oh HELL no," Seifer exclaimed as he began to read through the update. The changed character designs threw him for a loop and the setting was fantastic (both aesthetically and stylistically; ButterASS had chosen to get medieval with it), but he had lived this setting and the dialogue. Though what ensued after "I don't bite" was NOT the way things would have gone at all!

In fact, the more Seifer read, the angrier he found himself becoming. Even "I don't bite" wasn't the same. He had been honestly concerned with not scaring the shit out of Quistis, not that his care had apparently mattered! The fictional self was the exact kind of alpha-male, borderline rapist dickbag that Seifer despised.

Seifer knew full well he was an asshole to nearly everyone since respect had to be _earned_, but there was no point in being an asshole to girls who were generous enough to grant him access to their wonderful parts.

Was this really what Quistis thought about him?

Seifer could feel the surge of his old bad temper, the kind that as a child had made him impossible to adopt out, but he wasn't a kid anymore. Pushing away from the computer, Seifer took a brisk walk around the Garden to burn off the energy. People skittered out of his way as he breathed through his irritation and fortunately for them, Seifer didn't find anyone who needed discipline. He would only outright hit students if they were doing something really bad or were about to hurt someone else, but he had a way with words to make nearly anyone cry when he put his mind to it.

Seifer completed a circuit of the bottom floor and decided to go upstairs, because even though the classrooms were deserted, there was usually a couple making out in at least one of them or some cheater trying to get into the teacher consoles. As Seifer rode the elevator up, he folded his arms tightly and drummed his fingertips on his arm, his usual tic when he couldn't tap Hyperion on his shoulder. The walk and the time away from the computer had drained away the anger, leaving a hardened lump of irritation that seemed to scratch the inside of his skull and chest. Alright, so it was clear that Quistis was attracted to him, but more the _idea_ of him than the reality; otherwise she would never have created porn in the first, never have continued with it, and never have written him as...that. Fine. Whatever. _He _knew he would never do that to her and honestly? Quistis probably knew that too.

Probably.

Seifer didn't mind most people being slightly scared of him, but he didn't want people to be actually be _afraid_ of him to the point of distrust. He worked best when people saw him as some sort of terrifying knight errant, the bully boy who'd break legs for a right cause. Since creating the Disciplinary Committee, Seifer had done just that on more than one occasion and over time, he, Fujin, and Raijin had fallen into three roles: Fujin was the good listener, Raijin was the sympathizer and the shoulder to cry on, and people came to Seifer when they wanted the hurt dealt out. And it was all good.

But that didn't mean he liked violence in _everything._ Especially sex. In Seifer's head, he drew a sharp line between sex and violence partly because of their opposing natures and also half in reaction to people obliquely telling him that he should be into that. Well, fuck those people. He wouldn't do that. He would _never _do that.

It ran like a protective chant through his head as the elevator continued to rise, and when the door dinged open and Seifer looked up to meet Quistis's startled gaze, he immediately blurted out what was on his mind: "I would never do that."

"Do...what?" She asked him, looking at him strangely. Obviously she had been working late; she was still in her SeeD uniform, her reading glasses were still on, and there was a valise in one hand that was filled with paperwork and her laptop. For once, her appearance was less than perfect; there was a slightly red mark on her cheek where she'd probably been resting her hand, strands of her hair escaped the clip and fuzzed out from the two locks she wore in front, and her sleeves were slightly pushed up to expose her wrists, since the SeeD uniforms had cufflinks that clacked against tables and keyboards when people were typing. In other words, Quistis did not look unapproachable today, being neither the cool Instructor nor the battle-ready SeeD. She just looked tired and confused.

"Is there something wrong with the elevator?" She asked, leaning in and looking around.

That was it. He was done with the jerkaround. To hell with the consequences, Seifer thought as he leaned down to say close to her ear, "I wouldn't take advantage of you like that bastard in the porn thing you wrote just now."

Quistis dropped her valise with a loud thud. When Seifer looked at her, she had gone white as a sheet and perfectly still.

The elevator dinged annoyingly at them and to Seifer's surprise, Quistis straightened her glasses, grabbed her valise, and stepped into the elevator with him. She pushed the button to close the doors and looked up at him, or tried to. The color was starting to creep back to her face and boy, was it red. Seifer saw her start to hyperventilate a little bit.

Fine. Let her stew. Seifer leaned against the elevator wall and waited for her to apologize. This time of night, nobody was using the elevator, so he wasn't worried about them being interrupted. He watched as Quistis visibly struggled with what to say and in a minute, she sighed deeply and turned to face him, her posture stiff with bravado.

"What exactly did you have a problem with?" She asked him crisply, as though he was debating a grade on a test.

Seifer stared at her. "Let's see," he said slowly. "First and foremost, you _do_ remember that I didn't touch you at all, right?"

"It's a work of erotic fiction," said Quistis. "Touching is necessary."

Seifer nearly exploded. "That's not what I—! Okay, fine. You win. But you honestly remember that I didn't leap on you like a hungry animal, right? That I backed off when I saw you didn't want to?"

"I..." Her gaze flickered, as though she wanted to look away. "I remember that. But backing away doesn't make a good story."

"And semi-raping you does?"

"It's called dubcon. It's short for 'dubious consent'."

"In the real world, that's called rape," said Seifer. "And maybe you missed that whole unit we took when we were twelve years old, but it was pretty explicitly stated that absence of a 'no' is not a 'yes'. And I find it pretty fucking insulting that a character you drew based on me, saying the things I said, would just run all over that. _I wouldn't do that._" As he watched her gaze drop to the floor, her shoulders shaking slightly, he added sarcastically, "Unless you _really_ wanted me to."

He saw the shaking intensify for a long moment before Quistis took a deep breath and visibly calmed herself. _"What a neat trick,"_ thought Seifer as Quistis lifted her head and straightened her glasses, making the light flash off them. "Do you understand the term 'transgressive pornography'?" She asked him.

"Getting off on something you're not supposed to," he snapped. He wasn't stupid.

"Essentially. And do you know what a bodice ripper is?"

What? "Is it a knife?"

"No," said Quistis, not bothering to hide her patronizing smirk. As Seifer glared, she explained, "It is a form of erotic fiction. Probably the kind that immediately pops to mind when I say 'romance novel.'"

"Oh. You mean those ultra-cheesy, way-too-many-muscles, women-swooning things?"

"Yes. Do you know why they're popular?"

Seifer shrugged, but his confusion seemed to soften the edge of his anger. Quistis hoped she would explain things correctly. If she screwed this up, it wasn't just going to be a bad grade. Already she knew the shame of her ill-advised actions would be with her forever.

"The theory is that women buy romance novels in which the female characters completely surrender their agency because it represents an acceptable way to abdicate responsibility," said Quistis, trying to explain things as clearly as possible. When Seifer stared at her in confusion, she kept going, hoping something would click. "In the safe, private confines of a romance novel, it is completely up to the reader to decide how much she wants to go through with, which is a measure of control that isn't always respected in real life. Therefore, the forceful, occasionally over-the-top 'dubious consent' of romance novels represents a safe and controlled way to experience a fantasy."

"That's some bullshit," said Seifer immediately. As Quistis opened her mouth to argue (because she knew quite a bit about female fantasy, thank you very much) Seifer shocked her by saying, "Characters have no agency. And for whatever reason, romance novel authors like to rob their leading ladies of the ability to say 'no', which makes it some _creepy_ bullshit."

"What did you say?" Quistis said, shocked.

"I said it's creepy bullshit. I think it makes women think that men are supposed to act that way. Especially if you don't know any better." He looked at her with sudden pain. "Please don't say you got your ideas about sex from _romance novels."_

"No!" Quistis exclaimed, but the shock was still there. "Seifer... You... You can... _Talk_ about this?"

Now he stared at her like she was the dumb one. "I have a brain," he said, tapping his head. "Not to mention, Fujin is one of my best friends and I don't tune her out when she starts talking about this stuff."

"Fujin talks about romance novels?" Quistis asked, stunned. _"She talks in sentences?"_

"She talks about everything having to do with women!" He started to go on a mini-rant, saying, "You wanna talk about how many female-led films versus male-led films there were in the past ten years? She knows. You want to talk about society views female-led jobs as bad or not as deserving of pay? She knows. Which means Raijin and I know. Except I know to shut up and listen and he just..." Seifer dragged his hand over his face. "Never mind. Not important."

"No," said Quistis softly. "Very important." She swallowed hard and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry. Truly sorry. Of course it was wrong for me to...to alter our interaction like that, but I really didn't know it would hurt you so much. I... I thought most men liked being in control."

"I like it when my partners are having fun and actually want to be with me," said Seifer, making her glance up at him. He was still angry, but it was a controlled anger that was more like passion. "That is the single most important thing to me."

"Oh."

Seifer narrowed his eyes at her and looked her up and down. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Normally this would have been a wildly inappropriate question and Quistis would have slapped anyone who asked it, but considering everything that had gone on between them, Seifer deserved a fair answer. "Yes," she admitted. "I do a lot of research, but... I'm sure it shows from time to time."

"Yeah," he said, leaning back against the elevator wall again. "Not to mention that you draw like an anatomy textbook."

"That's what I have," she said, slightly stung. And then embarrassed. "You've... Seen my work too?"

Seifer rolled his eyes a bit. "That's why we're having this conversation, isn't it?"

"Oh... True." Quistis fiddled with her tie a bit. "So... You must have seen... The other things."

"The Bad Teacher episodes?"

Quistis winced.

"Yeah..." said Seifer slowly. "I saw them."

"...and?"

"Well... I didn't like the one of you and Squall so much—"

Quistis covered her face in both hands, too late to stop the blush from going up her cheeks. She felt hot, faint, a little nauseous, the most mortified she had ever been in her life. She turned around and put her face to the wall.

"Oh come on, don't do that," said Seifer, sounding pained. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm doing this because I'm embarrassed, you idiot, not because I think you'll hurt me!" She snapped back.

"Oh." Seifer was quiet for a moment. "Well... Good. Because I wouldn't."

"I know," she said, the shame roiling in her chest. Yet part of her also relaxed, soothed by his repeated assurances. He had been so angry about depicted as forceful that Quistis couldn't help but wonder what he was actually like. "So... What did you think of the first one?"

"The first one?"

"The one with... The guy under the desk." She couldn't even say the pastiche's name.

"Oh," said Seifer in a shiver-inducing tone that made her want to turn around, or at least glance at him. "That. That was..."

"...yes?"

"...Pretty hot."

Quistis heaved a sigh of relief. "Good," she said. "But you know, that was pretty dubious too. Blackmail and everything..."

"Yeah, but the way you ended it seemed to imply it was more evenhanded than it looked."

"Oh... That was just meant to be teaser in case people liked it."

"I was kinda surprised you went with a different student after that, actually."

"Well..." If Seifer could talk about this calmly, so could she. Quistis dropped her hands from her face and tried to turn around, but apparently though her mind was willing, her body was completely locked up against further embarrassment. So she gripped the handrail going around the elevator instead and talked to the wall. "There's a reason for that. After our trip to the Lightning Forest and the thing with the ice cream, I couldn't stop thinking about...you. And it scared me, so I figured if I...tried something different, it would be better. And less distracting. I didn't know you knew. Did you know back then? About me...drawing stuff?"

"Yeah," said Seifer, making her wince again. "I knew since that quiz you thought I cheated on."

"**I **never thought you cheated," said Quistis, unconsciously glaring at him over her shoulder. He was still in the same position she'd last seen him in, arms folded, leaning against the wall, legs crossed at the ankle. She noted that he rested in such a way that she was closest to the buttons and the elevator door.

"Yeah, okay," he said. "But since then, I knew about the porn."

"How?"

"Well..." Now for whatever reason, he looked embarrassed. He was blushing for real. As Seifer cast his gaze to the side, he said, "I saw you doing this thing with your pencil."

"What?"

"You were sort of...sucking on it, I guess."

Quistis knew she _chewed_ her pencils when she was thinking, but she'd never thought of that as an erotic activity.

"Anyway, it looked like you were...either looking at me or Leonhart." Seifer shifted uncomfortably. "And it was weird, so I told Fujin and Raijin. And then a while later, Raijin sends me this thing that looks...familiar."

"Oh no," Quistis groaned. "So they know too?"

"Well, Raijin does. At least. Fujin probably doesn't. She doesn't care about sex at all." Seifer looked back at her, saying, "We're not going to tell anyone, so your job is safe."

"Oh." She hadn't even thought about that. She had been so preoccupied with Seifer's anger and his dismay that the ramifications of this discovery in her own life hadn't even popped up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"And I'm sorry. About everything."

"It's okay," said Seifer. When she studied his face, she saw a bit of his usual cocky smile coming back as he said, "If someone's going to have sexy thoughts about me, it's better if it's someone I 'like', right?"

"I...suppose," said Quistis with a little laugh. That was the other thing that bothered her and kept her up at night; Quistis remembered what Seifer had said when he'd wanted to clear the air earlier and his awkward, stumbled-through confession was why she knew she couldn't create something out of what they'd almost done. It was why she needed to write it out and try to understand what was going through his head, except she didn't know anything about him and...

"_If he really had pressed forward, I don't think I would have said no."_

Never before had it been so terrifying to take responsibility for her own actions.

"_Besides, do I like him? I find him physically attractive. And he's not only smarter than I gave him credit for, but...sensitive. Sensitive Seifer Almasy, what a weird concept. I know I shouldn't be impressed by him being a decent human being, but..._

"_I suppose I never thought of him as one before."_

That was a very unpleasant, very ugly thing to realize about oneself. Quistis hugged her valise to her chest and looked at the floor.

"Up or down?" He asked her.

"Huh?" Oh, they were still in the elevator. "Oh... Down."

He took two steps across the elevator to push the button and Quistis couldn't help but study him as he drew near. She still felt that heat and that pull, all the more intense for his apparent disinterest. She knew he had to be thinking about what almost happened, otherwise he wouldn't have recognized the scenario and gotten so mad.

How would things have actually gone if she'd called out?

How would things have gone if she hadn't flinched away?

How often did second chances come around?

"_I'm not a coward."_

As Seifer reached out to push the button, Quistis grabbed his sleeve again. He looked at her hand first and then at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, sounding purely confused.

"I..." She swallowed hard. "I..."

Stupid words. Words were stupid. So Quistis dropped her valise, grabbed the lapels of Seifer's coat, and pulled him toward her.

"Hey!" Seifer caught himself on the handrail, bracing. "What the hell?"

It was wrong. Abort. Abort. "Oh, forget it!" Quistis half-shouted, letting go and turning away. She was shaking again, her breath rattling her chest.

Seifer slowly straightened his coat, thinking that Quistis was even crazier than he'd thought. He had a pretty good idea of what she had been trying to do, but he didn't like being yanked around physically either. Why was it so hard for her to just _talk_ to him? If she asked for a kiss, he wouldn't say no. He wouldn't give it a second thought.

Seifer turned and reached out to push the button, but it was like his body locked as soon as he touched the hard plastic. If the elevator went down and the doors opened, whatever weirdness was between them would turn into a wall. And Seifer didn't want to be tormented with what might have been. It was better to either end things before they started or see them through and end them properly.

"_Yes or no. That's all I need to hear."_

Quistis was still standing with her back to him, shaking hard. She'd told him earlier that this was just how she was when she was embarrassed, but it still looked like fear to him. What was she so scared of?

Fairly sure that she wasn't going to punch him or otherwise kill him, Seifer dropped his hand from the elevator buttons and instead reached out, touching her on the shoulder with just his fingertips. She flinched again and he had to bite down the automatic hurt.

"Is this okay?" He asked her softly.

She nodded once, jerkily, and carefully Seifer opened his hand to curl over her whole shoulder. He could feel the trembling now as well as see it and found himself wanting to hold her until the shivering stopped.

Quistis barely breathed as Seifer gently squeezed her shoulder. He was being so restrained when so much inside her was roaring for passion and force. But just as loud was the voice of duty and professionalism telling her that this was a mistake, that she would lose everything she had worked for; her license, her reputation, her...self. That was why she couldn't turn around as Seifer laid his other hand on her other shoulder, even though he did nothing but stand quietly and breathe. She knew what he was doing and was thankful and resentful at the same time; it wasn't like she would run away from him.

"_Even if we weren't trapped in an elevator, I still wouldn't run. I'm not a coward."_

Quistis was still shaking like she wanted to bolt. On some level, Seifer was sure she wanted to. Here the two of them were, stuck in a small elevator that wasn't going anywhere, and he was touching her more personally than...anyone, probably. He should have felt honored by that, but instead Seifer breathed against the surge of damnable desire in his blood that made him want to hold Quistis against him whether she liked it or not. He was close enough that he could smell her shampoo, which reminded him of nectarines. He really liked nectarines.

"Can I kiss you?" Seifer asked, feeling more nervous than the actual first kiss he'd ever had. That one must have been alright because he couldn't even remember it, but this felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. He waited with bated breath.

"_Yes," _thought Quistis, but she couldn't make the words come out. She tried to nod, but that didn't work either. Stupid body. So Quistis did the best she could, closing her eyes and leaning until she felt Seifer's chest against her back. He was warm, solid, and all at once she felt something shiver over her, making her knees feel weak as all the blood in her body seemingly rushed through her chest.

This was a yes, right? Seifer really wanted this moment to be a yes, because the soft pressure of her body against his made him ache with wanting. He squeezed her shoulders a little bit, feeling the tightness she carried. He wanted to soothe it out of her with kisses until she melted and then fuck her until she lost all her inhibitions. But nothing was going to happen unless she said yes.

"Please?" He asked very softly, barely above a whisper.

"_Say yes, say yes, say yes,"_ Quistis raged at her still lips, her terror-locked throat. It was so frustrating! What was the worst that could happen, that he'd be a bad kisser? No, the worst was that he would be good. That he would be amazing and and all she had to do was say yes. Say yes and finally experience what she'd lost so many nights thinking about.

"_It's just a kiss. Just one little kiss."_

"Yes," she managed to croak out.

"What was that?"

"Yes," Quistis repeated more loudly, though not more confidently. "You can k-k-kiss me."

FINALLY. Seifer resisted the urge to spin her around, telling himself that until she stopped shaking like a leaf in the wind, he needed to go slow. So slow that it nearly killed him, that's how slow he needed to go with an inexperienced virgin. Regardless of how things went and/or ended between them, he was not going to be the one to scare her off intimacy tonight. So Seifer leaned down and kissed behind her ear, hearing her gasp as soon as his lips touched her skin.

A shockwave seemed to roll out from the place where Seifer kissed her, pouring like water over her skin and making her blood vibrate in her veins. Her skin tightened up, making her hyperaware of his breath and his nearness as he kissed her neck this time, somehow finding a spot that was so sensitive that she nearly collapsed. A noise that she didn't have a name for fluttered past her parted lips and she felt his hands tighten on her shoulders.

Now that he was determined to settle in for a long ride, Seifer concentrated on what Quistis was telling him with her soft noises and her trembling. If that little moan had been any indication, she really liked that spot. So he kissed her neck again, nipping ever so gently, and felt her press her behind against his hips. It was probably unconscious, but Seifer sucked his breath over his teeth as dull, warm pleasure radiated out from that contact, rattling his resolve to go slowly. He wanted to press back.

Quistis let go of her arms with fingers that were half-cramped from holding on so tight, and it felt good to stretch out the fine tendons as she put her hands on the elevator wall. She heard Seifer's breath catch as she pushed against the wall slowly, pressing herself to him more completely. It was one thing to read about and write about erections, but words failed her now that she felt the reality straining through his clothes, so hard and strange that it didn't feel real. Yet even here there was warmth, a very enticing heat that made Quistis's hips ache with instinctual imperative. Unwilling she started to wonder if sex in the real world was really all it was cracked up to be...

It felt like Quistis wanted to sprint ahead now, but Seifer was not about to misread anything. Grasping Quistis's shoulders more firmly, he turned her around to face him and nearly groaned aloud at the look in her eyes. She was staring up at him through those flimsy little reading glasses, blue eyes very wide and shining with uncertainty and desire. The flush on her porcelain-pale cheeks drew attention to her soft, plump lips. He loved looking at her mouth even when she was yelling at him, and seeing her lips parted in desire because of something _he_ was doing... It was almost too much. Seifer nevertheless eased his grip and slid his hands from her shoulders to her face, cupping her cheeks in his palms. His fingertips brushed over her ears and tickled against her hairline as he very carefully, very gently tilted her face up to meet his.

Quistis couldn't breathe when she finally looked Seifer in the eyes. How long had he looked her like she was something fragile and precious? She couldn't recall ever seeing that look in anyone's eyes before, at least not anyone who actually knew what she was capable of. People did underestimate her because of her looks and her slight build, but this was different. Seifer knew what she could do and wasn't scared off by it. He had seen her when she was annoyed and covered in blood and didn't think any less of her for it. It struck her that maybe Seifer was moving so carefully, so slowly, because he was just as nervous as she was. He didn't want to be rejected again. The softest gasp of understanding was all Quistis managed to get out before she felt his mouth on hers and oh...oh my. Quistis closed her eyes to drown in the softness of his lips, the achingly chaste and intimate contact, and how in this instant, everything she ever wanted was right here.

Seifer absently thought that this was everything a first kiss should be as he felt Quistis sigh against his lips and then let him kiss her like she deserved to be. She was so stiff with all her responsibilities that even a little kiss like this made her shake like she would fall apart, and maybe she would. Clearly Quistis wanted more on some level, and if the way she shivered and reached for him was any indication, there was a wellspring of passion inside her that he wanted a taste of. Poor Quistis Trepe, so brilliant and so alone. Seifer growled softly as a possessiveness came over him, as well as the idea that he'd make it so she couldn't think of sharing herself with anyone other than him. He wanted all her firsts. Seifer kissed her with just a little more heat and felt her lips part; taking that as an invitation, he deepened their kiss and felt her moan.

Quistis felt like she was going to faint. She found herself clutching the lapels of Seifer's coat again, pulling him against her as she curled into him. He took a half-step forward or stumbled, something, but they bumped into the corner and Quistis cried out as Seifer shifted his leg to grind against her; she panted as sensation, electrifying and numbing at the same time, blossomed through her hips. Seifer dropped one hand from her face to press against her back and his other hand he wove into her hair, tugging against the clip. When Quistis pushed her head against the wall to make him stop that, he took that as an invitation to kiss her neck and Quistis cried out again as he kissed down the front of her neck, pushing the collar of her jacket aside with an impatient brush of his chin. The touch of his lips on her collarbone made Quistis's hands curl into fists in his coat.

Abruptly the elevator lurched. They froze. As the elevator ascended, they sprang apart like—well, they were guilty teenagers—and rapidly got themselves back into order. Quistis fussed with her hair and picked up her valise while Seifer seized the edges of his coat and yanked it closed around him; his clothes were dark but overhead lighting was no one's friend. They put themselves in opposite corners with expressions of innocence on their faces as the elevator slowed, the doors dinged open, and Headmaster Cid and Xu appeared.

"Oh," said Cid, blinking. "I'm sorry, I had no idea anyone was in the elevator. Were you two headed down?"

"I was," said Quistis, making her voice as light and normal as she could. "I'm done for the night."

"I was headed up," said Seifer. "Patrol."

"Well, the third floor is most assuredly clear," said Cid, stepping into the elevator. Xu followed a step behind, a somewhat quizzical look on her face as she regarded first Seifer, then Quistis. Seifer ignored her, something he'd had plenty of practice at. Quistis also pretended to ignore Xu, but that was because she was afraid her friend could see something.

"Is the Cafeteria still open?" Xu asked Seifer.

"Not open-open, but they had the snacks out when I passed by," he said.

"Perfect," said Cid, rubbing his hands together. "It's cheesecake day."

"You should have fruit instead," said Xu with a frown. "It's better for you."

"No no, if we're going to finish the curriculum revisions tonight, I will need the sugar."

"Curriculum revisions?" Quistis asked, concerned.

"For next year," said Xu reassuringly. "Once Cid and I are done, we'll release the new guidelines and talk to all the faculty at once."

"Anything significant?"

"No, more like tweaks." Xu looked at Seifer suddenly, frowning. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Tell them what?" He asked her scornfully. " 'Bad news, kids, you have to study'?"

Xu looked like she wanted to snap at him but Cid laughed, which defused her reaction into an eye roll.

The elevator slowed to a stop at the second floor. Almost too late Seifer remembered that he was planning to patrol, so he excused himself and walked down the hallway. It was almost impossible not to look over his shoulder and see if Quistis was following him, because as annoying as that interruption had been, everything before had been...wow. She couldn't just forget about that, could she?

"_I've been around the block more than once and I know _I _won't."_

Seifer got a bit of a wicked idea and went to Quistis's classroom, which was unlocked (the only Instructors who regularly locked their classes were Firearms and Incendiaries, for obvious reasons). He resisted the urge to switch on the light since the stars and moon outside were bright enough though the windows, and Seifer eyed Quistis's desk. Feeling a bit stupid but also good about things, Seifer walked over, pushed the chair out of the way, and climbed underneath the desk. It was surprisingly roomy. He could definitely get on his knees, as well as lie down on his back as long as he bent his legs. Wasn't that interesting?

The lights switched on and Seifer froze, adrenaline making his heart race. Was it Quistis? Was something amazing about to happen?

And then a mechanical whirr made him curse softly. It was the fucking cleaning crew. Seifer nearly rolled out from under the desk in disgust, but then thought about how it would look and decided that there was no good way to explain what he was doing. At best, he was weird. At worst, he could be suspected of tampering with an Instructor's console. So Seifer stayed very still and listened to where the whirring was going. If the custodian decided to clean the room from front to back, he was going to get found out very quickly.

Instead the whirring cut out. Seifer heard footsteps go to the back of the room. Then he heard the whirring pick up again, and when Seifer cautiously rolled out from under the desk, he saw the elderly custodian bobbing his head to whatever was playing over his earphones. Seifer eyed the distance from the desk to the door and decided he could make it; he leapt and landed in a roll, throwing himself out into the hallway.

"What are you doing?" A female voice gasped, dashing his feeling of accomplishment. Seifer looked up and saw it was Quistis. Yessss.

But also, "Uhh..."

"Were you in the classroom?"

"Obviously," he said, getting to his feet.

"Why?" She asked, that fine blush rising to her cheeks again.

"Oh... I think you know why," he said, grinning at her. "I do fit under that desk, by the way."

She turned away, covering her face. But he was sort of used to that by now and stepped up behind her, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"You know... If you want to..."

"Oh no, no, no, no..." Quistis laughed nervously, taking a few brisk steps away. Then she slowed and stopped and looked over her shoulder, looking at him over the top of her glasses in a very beguiling way. "Well...maybe."

"Maybe?" Seifer repeated, his grin becoming broader.

"Maybe," she said firmly.

"Will I have to be very bad?"

"More like very, _very_ good."

"I can do good," he said and frowned as Quistis started to laugh. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, waving her hand at him. "It's not you, I promise."

There wasn't actually anything for them to do on the second floor, so they went back to the elevator. Seifer assumed she'd told Xu and Cid that she'd forgotten something and needed to go back up, which made him feel pretty good about things. This time when they got in the elevator, Seifer waited until the doors dinged shut before reaching out for Quistis.

To his shock, she smacked his hands away.

"I'm sorry, did I hallucinate earlier?" He asked her incredulously. The backs of his hands stung worse than if she'd hit him with the whip. "Because I thought we had a moment."

"That doesn't mean you can grab me whenever you like," she said stiffly.

"Okay," said Seifer warily. "Can I 'grab' you now?"

Quistis pursed her lips. "...Yes."

"_She's like a cat," _thought Seifer with some exasperation. He briefly entertained holding his hand out for her to sniff, but decided she wouldn't stop at smacking him if he tried.

Still, it was a relief to know that she would shut him down hard if she didn't like anything. This entire time Seifer had been worried that she'd been too scared to say 'no', when in reality it was 'yes' that Quistis had problems with. That could be worked with.

Seifer stepped close and despite his earlier joke thought about Quistis and cats, he lifted his hands and ran them down her hair, behind her ears, and lightly down her face until he traced the edges of her jaw with his fingertips. At once her wary expression softened, making heat flutter through his blood. Seifer ran his hands lightly down her shoulders and arms, catching her free hand and tugging on it lightly. She took a step forward and he bent down slightly to kiss her on the lips. Once again he felt the heat and the passion surge between them, rapidly building with every subtle movement of their bodies until it was like they had never been interrupted.

Quistis had written about hard sex, furious sex, rip-your-clothes-off sex for such a long time that this agonizingly slow, sweet buildup was infinitely more arousing than the boldest declaration would have been. She was keen to the heat of his gloved fingers in her palm, the proximity of his body to hers, and how even though they were just barely touching, she could seemingly feel the shuddering waves of his desire. Quistis was still holding her valise and didn't want to drop her laptop again, but she really wished she could hold onto him like she had before. She really, really wanted to feel the entire press of his body against hers...

"_Oh, to hell with it."_

She dropped her valise to pull him toward her, but as soon as the valise hit the floor, there was an ominous cracking noise. Quistis immediately pulled away and looked down.

"Oh no!" She gasped, seeing her papers and her laptop all over the floor. The hinge had cracked. Passion forgotten, Quistis dropped to her knees and rapidly began scooping everything up before Seifer could see anything. His final grades were in there.

His...grades...

Oh Hyne, what the hell was she doing?

She jumped as Seifer knelt on the elevator floor and helped her gather her things, a somewhat bemused smile on his face. Her reservations softened in the face of what she knew about him now. He was still arrogant, still forceful, still... Him. And so much more. A slightly painful sensation that had nothing to do with lust made her chest hurt a bit and it took her a moment to realize that it was _like._ She _liked_ him.

Shit.

"I think you need a new bag," he said, holding out a stack of papers. "Fujin can probably make some recommendations."

Oh shit. If she sought out his posse, then she would be making friends with his friends. They might...hang out. Where people could see them. The thought of all the strange looks directed her way, their way, made her cringe inside. She could already hear the gossip, the confused queries, couldn't she do better than _Seifer Almasy? _Xu would be really pissed. And the faculty would never shut up about how she'd abused her position to seduce a student...

Seifer could see Quistis start to withdraw already and tried not to be annoyed, though he was dismayed. Wasn't there anything that could shut her brain off for a while, so she could just relax and be her age, her self? Her real self?

"_Yes, because you are possessed of maaagical lips that can undo years of discipline and self-control," _sneered his inner bastard. Or maybe it was his conscience, which often sounded like the same thing. _"Look at it from her perspective for once."_

The problem was that Seifer wasn't sure why Quistis was freaking out right now. He only knew that the beautiful woman with the amazing laugh and the untapped passion was slipping away before his eyes. She'd already told him she wasn't afraid of him and he knew she liked kissing him, so...

"I won't tell anyone," he said, shooting in the dark. "Not even Fujin and Raijin. I know how hard you've worked to get where you are."

Quistis winced. Him being thoughtful and considerate made her feel like an idiot for even worrying about things that might not come to pass, but one of them had to think about the future. Seifer was famous for never thinking about the future, though she did envy the way he was able to direct his attention on the present... Especially if that present included her and the way he looked at her when they kissed. Unconsciously she bit her lip, remembering the feel of his mouth on hers and the way he tasted. Heat roiled up over her skin again.

"This is very new," she whispered to him. "I'm not used to... Everything. I don't know what's going to happen."

"I don't know either," said Seifer. "But I swear to you, whatever happens, I am not going to be one of those crazy weirdos who ruins you because things don't go the way I like."

Quistis couldn't help but laugh, both at his phrasing and from relief. The way he had of picking out things that were very real and yet hadn't crossed her mind was something else.

"Well, thank you," she said, picking up everything with far less anxiety. "So... I guess..."

"One day at a time?"

"That...sounds good."

"Okay," said Seifer with a nod. "In that case, can I ask for some of your time? In about two days, after classes?"

"Uh...in what capacity?" Quistis asked uncertainly.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "Mostly I just really want to kiss you in a place that's not an elevator, and two days gives us both time to figure out an excuse."

Quistis laughed again. "I can't argue with that logic," she said, finding herself smiling at him. "The elevator is a little cramped."

"And in the middle of everything."

"Yes." They finished gathering up her things and Quistis pushed the 1F button. As the elevator lurched down, Quistis turned and half-expected to find Seifer at her shoulder, but instead he was across the elevator, arms folded and ankles crossed. Quistis counted in her head. It usually took the elevator about fifteen seconds to get down to the bottom floor and three seconds had already elapsed...

Seifer made a noise of surprise as she quickly crossed the space and kissed him on the lips, going up on her tiptoes to meet him. She knew she wasn't the best kisser but she knew he liked it when he unfolded her arms and reached out for her; however, the broken valise she was holding against her chest made embracing awkward. She felt Seifer huff in annoyance before she felt his hot leatherclad palms on her face: it never failed to surprise her how he kissed in such a tender way. How many other women had he kissed like this? She really hoped the answer was none. Quistis really hoped he wasn't comparing her immature technique to anyone else with more polish, anyone he'd rather be with right now.

Four seconds after Quistis had pushed the button was when they started kissing. It was difficult for Quistis to keep count in her head when Seifer was kissing so persuasively, making her want to hit the stop button and prolong their time together (how were they plausibly going to get together in two days?), but she wanted to leave him confused and breathless for once. Three seconds until the end of the elevator ride, Quistis pulled back and smiled at the bewildered look on his face.

"Huh," he said, having just enough time to smile at her before the elevator slowed and opened. It was hard for Quistis to have anything but the most polite and professional smile on her face as she walked back to her room, but somehow she managed.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: Next update will be the first major edit of this fic. I cannot write smut on ffnet and the next chapter is pretty smutty. You can find it on AO3 if you are interested. However, I am gonna take this as a challenge for character development. Whoohah!

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	7. Chapter 7

**New Seed**

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6 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

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Let's get lost, you can take me home

Somewhere nice we can be alone

/\/\/\/\/\

Mindful of what he'd promised Quistis, Seifer did not tell Fujin and Raijin what he'd been up to, but they'd been friends long enough that they immediately knew something was up. And for two days, they badgered him as only they knew how, Raijin mostly by begging and whining and Fujin by staring until Seifer found himself sweating. He managed to keep his mouth shut, but the near-constant botheration also meant that he didn't have time to think about how he could meet Quistis in any sort of private, plausible capacity. Too bad he'd already taken his GF test and hadn't needed any field hours in a long time, because a nice walk away from the Garden sounded very, very good. The weather was nice, so Seifer could easily imagine finding a secluded hill far away, laying his coat down and then...

Apparently Quistis had thought the same thing, because two days later before the start of the class, she motioned for him to come up to the desk and asked him, "Are you busy after class?"

"No," said Seifer, trying to sound like the hardass who had never had Quistis Trepe trembling for his kisses.

"Good," she said, handing him a file. "Then you're going to come with me to pick up new specimens for the Training Center."

"What?"

She gave him a look that was all 'good teacher', mixed with a healthy dose of professional SeeD.

"We received a shipment of Grat sprouts and two juvenile T-Rexaurs, and someone needs to pick them up from Balamb," she said. "Your latest vehicular assessment shows that you could use some hours."

"So you want me to drive to Balamb and pick up baby monsters?"

"I'll supervise," said Quistis, looking back at her desk. "Don't worry, I won't let the monsters get you."

Seifer heard a couple of students in the front row snicker at him and glared at them, but only to cover the flutter of idiotic glee in his chest. Even with the monsters in the backseat, he was still going to be in a car alone with Quistis for at least an afternoon.

It was impossible to concentrate on class after that, especially because Quistis gave them reading and that meant everyone had their heads down. Seifer did not keep his head down and kept looking restlessly at Quistis, who was working on something with every appearance of attention. She was scribbling away very busily...

Wait.

Scribbling? Or drawing?

Seifer felt his heart skip a beat and then just stop beating for a while, because holy fuck, if Quistis was doing what he thought she was doing, then he was the luckiest man on the planet to be able to spend hours in a car with _her._ She would have to show him, right? It wasn't like Seifer hadn't seen her work before. What was she doing? What was she working on? Was it something about them?

...Was it a playbook for how she wanted their outing to go?

Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth. Anybody looking at him would probably think he was annoyed by the reading: across the aisle from him, Squall glanced over, shook his head slightly, and went back to his own console. Normally irritated by the brunet's indifference, Seifer instead felt like laughing. It seemed like nothing was going to ruin his mood today.

"_Calm down. It's probably just paperwork. Don't get crazy. Don't get ahead of yourself."_

Seifer put his head down and tried to read, but the words blurred before his eyes and time had never seemed to go by so slowly. At some point in time Quistis stood up and started handing out papers to students. Seifer tracked her progress and realized that the way she was going, she would reach him last. He tried not to squirm with impatience, especially when he saw that she was handing back written quizzes. He remembered taking one of those last week but had no idea how he might have done. Aroused curiosity now warred with worries about grades, which was not a good combination.

Quistis handed Squall his quiz, having to drop it in front of his face since he was too absorbed to take it from her. When she turned to him, Seifer already had his hand out and Quistis looked at him with a bit of mild surprise. But there was a little smile on her lips that made him grin and silently she made a little gesture with her finger for him to turn the paper over. Seifer obeyed and nearly gasped aloud.

She had drawn a picture of herself in sexy black lingerie on the back of his quiz, hair down and perched on the corner of a bed.

Quistis forced herself to be as calm and silent as possible when she saw Seifer's face turn red and the paper start to shake slightly in his hand. Teasing was _fun, _especially when a mere five minutes had such a great payout. She walked away then, lacing her hands behind his back and waiting for the second, less fun part of the surprise, which was on the front side of the quiz. Quistis was almost back to her desk when she heard Seifer's muttered swear, and when she looked over her shoulder, he was pointing at his grade. 78/100. She looked at him archly, which made him stare incredulously, which made her look him over the top of her glasses, and finally made Seifer huff and sit back in his seat.

"_I'm not committing academic perjury for you," _thought Quistis as she went back behind her desk and swept eraser crumbs off her console. _"No matter how good of a kisser you are."_

Quistis sat down and glanced at Seifer. He looked like he was about to sulk, but then she saw him flip the quiz over and start to smile again. She trusted he wouldn't read too much into that doodle since he'd seen far more graphic things and had been very respectful indeed, but since that drawing was for his eyes alone... Well, there was a possibility he might take it as an invitation.

Which she sort of hoped he would, because Quistis was wearing that set of lace underthings right now. Seifer probably thought they were black. In reality, the lace bra and panty were a soft purplish rose that was just a shade pinker than her own skin.

She'd gone out shopping with Xu ages ago and Xu had cajoled her into buying something other than sensible white, nude, and black. "Just in case," Xu had said, paying for the lacy set that Quistis had eyed all afternoon and declined to buy since she was single. Xu would probably explode if she knew that Quistis was wearing the special set for Seifer, but Quistis had already decided that enough was enough. Frankly, her relative lack of development in certain areas at _this _age was an embarrassment and Quistis was not about to pretend that mere biology was more significant than it was. Look how terrified she'd been with just _kissing._ Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. That was why Quistis was determined to see things through even though a part of her seemed to squirm and flail at the speed of the action.

"_It'll get the fever for Seifer out of my blood if we just get it over with. It's all hormones at this point."_

Class ended and the students filtered out, three Trepies staying behind. Normally Quistis didn't mind talking to them, but today she wondered how to get rid of them as fast as possible.

"So you're picking up monsters today?" Asked Alia, her eyes bright.

"Yes," said Quistis. "We have to restock the Training Center every now and then since it's too dangerous to have them breeding on their own."

"Seems like a dangerous assignment," said Brount, casting a sidelong glance at Seifer as he came up the aisle. Quistis followed his line of sight but instead watched Seifer as he tucked the quiz into his inner coat pocket, folded to hide the sketch.

"Not really," said Quistis to Brount, trying not to be annoyed. "The Grat sprouts are frozen and the juvenile T-Rexaurs are heavily sedated."

"Who's in charge of ordering monsters?" Asked Nina, tilting her head. "It'd be nice to fight something different for a change."

"Grats are fine to perfect Drawing skills on," said Quistis. "And it's more of a question as to what survives in our Training Center versus what we would like to see."

"But we're going to kill them anyway, so—"

"Not an excuse to waste expensive resources," said Quistis, trying not to sound impatient. As Seifer approached, she said, "Prepare your junction and GF. I'll see you in the garage."

He grunted like nothing was different, but she imagined she saw a smile on his face. She could only imagine the look he'd have when he saw what she was wearing.

"Please excuse me," said Quistis to the Trepies with a smile. "I have to get ready to go."

The Trepies bid her farewell and let her go about the business of supervising a driving mission. Not bothering to change out of her uniform, Quistis got her weapon, junctioned Shiva from her private console, and checked her magic before going to the garage. Just because monster pickup was essentially a milk run didn't mean she shouldn't be prepared.

To her immense shock, Seifer was waiting in the garage already and wearing his cadet uniform. He hadn't worn it since being appointed head of the Disciplinary Committee over a year ago and apparently he'd packed on the muscle since then since it looked just a bit tight in the best sort of way.

"_Oh dear," _Quistis thought, her heart pounding.

"I should look official if we're on official business, right?" Seifer asked her, tilting his head. He'd guessed rightly; the sight of him in his student uniform was making her want to be a _very_ bad teacher indeed. It was hard not to smirk at her.

"Yes," she said, swallowing her shock. The unique thrill of transgressive pleasure made Quistis feel shivery inside as she approached the checkout counter and got the keys. The vehicle for the monsters was an armored van with especially heavy protection between the passenger compartment and the holding area in the back. The windows were also made of bulletproof and magic-repellent glass, which tinted them a dark purple. Quistis handed Seifer the keys as they approached the vehicle, noting that his gunblade was oiled and sharpened. That made her feel better, knowing that Seifer hadn't completely turned his head off either.

Not right now, anyway.

"Driving an armored car is different from a regular vehicle," she said to Seifer as they climbed up and in. "The center of gravity is higher and the turn radius is rather large, so keep that in mind when you're moving."

"Okay, okay." They buckled in and Quistis watched to make sure Seifer checked the mirrors, made sure the doors were locked, and started the vehicle. Internally she braced; the last student she'd taken out for motor hours had no in-between when it came to slamming on the brakes or the gas, but Seifer had a fine touch with both and also shifted smoothly enough that Quistis only felt the changing of gears if she was waiting for it. This promised to be a pleasant trip in more ways than one.

"So how much time do we have?" He asked her as they exited the Garden.

"It usually takes people about two and a half hours to do this run," she said, looking at him sidelong.

"Do I get marked down if I blow a tire and have to change it?"

"You are _not_ damaging Garden property," she told him severely.

"Of course not," he said. "But if we hit something and have to make a stop..."

"I'll note it in my report," said Quistis, smiling reluctantly. "And also say that you're handy with vehicles."

"Heh."

"Why are you speeding up?"

"The sooner we 'get' to Balamb, the more free time we have, right?"

Quistis laughed and leaned against the car door, looking at Seifer with something that felt dangerously like fondness. Life had become so strange.

She looked out the window and watched Balamb Garden disappear behind a hill in the side mirror. As soon as the last bit of the whirling Centran halo vanished from sight, Quistis took a deep breath, unbuckled her seatbelt, and slid across the bench seat. Seifer glanced at her but did not take his eyes off the road.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Do you know what I liked most about the first Bad Teacher episode?"

Seifer laughed, the sound coming out in a surprised bark. "Why don't you tell me?"

Remembering how sensitive the spot behind her ear had been, Quistis leaned forward and kissed Seifer behind his. He shivered, which made her grin and kiss him again.

"_Gah, that tickles," _thought Seifer, resisting the urge to rub his ear on his shoulder.

"I liked how I got to be in control," she said, touching the collar of his jacket. It had a very small, discreet pull tab that she nevertheless found with ease and Seifer stared as she drew it down. "And how you... Couldn't do anything."

"I could stop this car," he told her, intrigued.

"But I'd prefer if you didn't."

Seifer growled and to soften his ire, Quistis nibbled on his ear. To her surprise, Seifer burst out laughing.

"That _really_ tickles," he told her, looking at her in amusement. "If I'm gonna wreck the car, I'd rather do it the fun way."

Quistis blushed. It was not fair that he could still get the upper hand while he was occupied. Nevertheless, the fact that he couldn't respond with a hundred percent of his attention was arousing, and it made Quistis feel more wanton than she felt comfortable admitting. She pulled the zipper of his coat all the way down and when the two halves of the jacket popped open, Quistis smiled and let her hand drift down to Seifer's belt.

"Hey now," he said, glancing down. "I wasn't serious about wrecking the car."

"Then you should keep your eyes on the road," she said playfully. When he looked at her in surprised disbelief, she plucked at his shirt and saw his eyes gleam with interest. Oh yes, teasing was fun indeed. Quistis felt like laughing and biting him at the same time, anything to startle a reaction out of him. She pressed her hand over Seifer's heart and felt it beating hard even though the bone and muscle. Most older SeeD cadets were built just due to the nature of their education, but Seifer was one of the lucky few that put on muscle attractively and Quistis wondered what he'd look like with his shirt off. She tugged on the buttons on the collared shirt he wore underneath his cadet jacket.

"Hey," he said, glancing at her. "The front window isn't tinted, you know."

"There's no one around for miles," said Quistis, anticipation making her feel shivery inside. "Pull over behind the next hill."

"Okay," said Seifer, resisting the urge to yank the wheel over immediately. This was going even better than he'd hoped.

The next hill was more properly a hillock, more like a mound of dirt than anything providing real cover, but there was no one around for miles and as soon as Seifer got the armored van in park, Quistis was on him like she couldn't breathe and he was air. Overwhelmed by her passion, Seifer let her kiss him hard and push him against the door, half-afraid that any move he made would turn her back into the frightened girl in the elevator. She wasn't the best kisser but there was a fair amount to be said for enthusiasm, and knowing that she wanted to try was a good bit of a turn-on. Seifer did wrap his arms around her waist and shift so they lay on the bench seat.

"Are you sure about this?" He had to ask.

"Let's see," said Quistis, pushing herself up. She yanked off her tie and jacket and Seifer was stunned speechless at the sight of the lacy pinkish-purplish lingerie she was wearing. It looked rather familiar, which was a bizarre thing to think about something he'd never seen. And lingerie aside, Quistis was more beautiful than any model, strong and soft where it counted, her pink nipples just barely hidden by swirls of lace and strategic seaming. "I think I am."

"Oh, damn," Seifer gasped as Quistis undid his belt and whipped it off. At once he grabbed her hand, shock and panic surging through his veins. "Hey! Stop. Stop."

"Why?" She asked him breathlessly. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Seifer braced himself. "I didn't carry anything. I didn't bring a condom."

Quistis blinked at him. Seifer tensed, anticipating that she'd either hit him for assuming or...

WHACK across the chest and damn, did she put some heat into it.

"Why wouldn't you?" Quistis demanded, sounding outraged.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted to do," said Seifer, suddenly realizing that Quistis was in a prime position to choke him to death. She looked mad enough to do it too. Seifer swallowed and said, "I figured we'd make out for a while and call it a day. Everything is in my other coat."

Quistis groaned and tried to tell herself that it was nice that Seifer was so considerate. Still, disappointment felt like a stab in the chest. She almost felt upset enough to cry. When would they ever get an opportunity like this again?

And what would happen in the meantime? Would she obsess endlessly over Seifer? If she just had sex, could she stop thinking about him and... Oh, move onto someone else? Someone who wasn't a student, who didn't annoy the hell out of her best friend, who didn't annoy _her_ more than half the time? Someone who didn't have a reputation for playing fast and loose? That was the last thing she wanted to be, a notch in someone's belt, but Seifer had been so nice so far... And she didn't think he'd keep score like that... Still...

"_Oh, I should have known this was a stupid idea!" _She thought, flushing with mortification._ "It's never that simple, is it?"_

Seifer could see her tensing up, getting upset. Fortunately he was a man of resources.

"Come on," he said. "We can do something else."

"Like what?" She asked, sounding irritated.

Seifer grinned. It was easier to show than tell. He hoped he wouldn't get smacked as he reached for her. For a second it looked like he would, because Quistis tensed up even more as his arms went around her and the trembling was back even though she could actually look him in the eye now.

"You know you can say no at any time, right?" He asked, suddenly wondering if that was why she was having the nervous shakes.

"Of course I do," she muttered, turning red.

"Okay, then... Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

She didn't feel fine. When he told her so, she actually glared at him. And then wriggled out of his grasp and started putting her clothes back on.

"Hey, come on—"

"No! If you think I'm so... So bad at everything and knowing what I want to do, then just drive!"

Seifer nearly threw his hands in the air and did just that, but he happened to catch the look on her face. Quistis was not only red-cheeked, but there was a suspicious glimmer in her eyes. Seifer's mouth fell open in shock and something seemed to punch him in the chest.

"Quistis," he said, making her glare at him again. "What is your—I mean, what are you so upset about?"

"Just drive," she muttered, already sounding more embarrassed than angry.

"No," he said, folding his arms. "Not until you say what you're actually thinking. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the initiative, but where's the fire?"

Quistis turned and looked out the window. For a moment Seifer thought she wasn't going to say anything and almost resigned himself to starting up the car again and driving, but then Quistis sighed and stared talking to the glass.

"It was a stupid idea."

"What?"

"Trying to get it over with." Quistis closed her eyes. "All of this. Everything. I just wanted to get it over with and... And see what all the fuss was about."

"...the fuss about me in particular or sex in general?"

"The latter." She chuckled a little bit then, saying, "Though you do have an intriguing reputation."

"It's well-deserved," he said with a bit of a smirk. But his expression sobered as Seifer asked, "Well... Look, if you really want to just 'get it over with', then okay. But I think you're worth more than that."

"...why?"

"Why not?"

"I..." Quistis put her head against the window. "I just don't think... It's not that special, is it? It's just a release of hormones and endorphins. It's not..."

"Oh, Quistis," sighed Seifer in mixed amusement and pity. "You have _no_ idea what you're talking about. I'll prove it, too... If you're okay with that."

Was she? Quistis opened her eyes and looked at Seifer's reflection in the glass, hazy and pale though it was. He was looking at her with something like longing and that sent a shiver of something like fear through her chest. She wanted passion, she wanted sensation, she did not...

"_I don't want tenderness. I don't want love or anything like it. I wouldn't know what to do with it..."_

Even the idea seemed incredibly terrifying. Sex was understandable, even the insanity of lust made a sort of sense, but love... Quistis could not fathom it. She could not even sink into the addictive thrill of infatuation without being terrified that she was changing too fast to comprehend.

"_Get it over with. Demystify it. Get back to life. And be back in control again."_

"Okay," she said, seeing him smile at the word. They could at least get _something_ over with. "I'll let you try."

Seifer made a noise that out of anyone else would have been a giggle, and as Quistis looked at him in surprise, she squeaked as he slid across the bench seat and kissed her on the lips. It was chaste but somehow his intentions seemed to thrum through that point of contact, making Quistis shiver with his nearness and heat. Despite her best intentions, Quistis felt something softer and more psychological tickling her veins as the kissing got more intimate, and when Seifer slowly began to undress her, Quistis was trembling like a leaf before he even slid off her shirt. The noises that came out of her parted lips were mortifying and Quistis clapped her hands over her mouth as Seifer started kissing down her neck and chest with the same thorough and heat-inducing touch that he gave to her lips. His breathing was even but deep and rough-edged, his eyes heavy-lidded with lust as he slid off every piece of her clothing with a reverence and excitement that made Quistis want to melt. For whatever reason he kept looking up at her, making Quistis cover her face.

"_She's so cute,"_ thought Seifer as he slid to lie down along the bench seat, kissing down her stomach and inner thigh. _"How did I never realize she was cute before?"_

Seifer started to bring out some of the tricks that gave him that hard-earned reputation back in the Garden and couldn't help but grin as Quistis's nervous shallow breathing turned to panting and then deeper, more pleasured gasps that had her clutching at his hair and shoulders. Seeing her like this and hearing her cry out for him was better than any of the dreams he'd had over the past few weeks, but the best part was when she started to come back down and looked at him with soft, warm blue eyes that were all but glowing with appreciation and trust. Something more than lust started to flutter in Seifer's chest at that endearing, vulnerable look. Instinctively he knew she had never looked at anyone like that before.

"Good?" He asked, keeping his voice teasing so things couldn't get too heavy.

"Do you really have to ask?" She asked him in the sexiest voice he had ever heard. Seifer shifted against the bench seat, biting back the urge to ask her to return the favor. The way he was feeling now, it wouldn't take more than five minutes and that would give a bad, bad impression for future activities.

"_Because _fuck yeah_ we're doing this again!"_

Seifer looked so good between her legs like that and the reality of what had just happened filled Quistis with an excitement that seemed to vibrate her pleasure into something higher and sharper. She wanted more and she wanted it right now, but she didn't want to be selfish either. In fact... She wanted to see Seifer at his most vulnerable, just like he'd seen her. Just the idea made her tremble in the best way.

"Can I..." Quistis swallowed, nervousness fluttering through her veins again. "Can I try... For you?"

"Aah..." Seifer stammered, his brain stalling out as all the blood in his body seemed to rush elsewhere.

"I... I've practiced a little on, um..." She couldn't get the word 'vibrators' out of her mouth.

"_If she finishes that sentence I am gonna lose it,"_ thought Seifer, his mouth going dry as Quistis blushed, her gaze dropping to the side. Just the mental images were threatening to undo him as he imagined her with popsicles, bananas, anything vaguely phallic in shape...

"_And she draws really hot blowjob scenes too... Shit..."_

"A-anyway, um..." Quistis concentrated on the pile of her clothes on the floor of the truck. "I... I... I sort of know what to do..."

"_DO IT DO IT DO IT" _yelled Seifer's libido.

"_No, it's better to save something for later," _said his sensible self.

"_WHEN IS THERE GOING TO BE A LATER YOU IDIOT"_

"Unless... You don't want to..." said Quistis, her voice trailing off in an uncertain mumble. She felt incredibly stupid. Seifer had a reputation for a reason and she knew she was probably going to be the worst and most inexperienced woman he'd ever been with...

"I do want to," said Seifer, making Quistis look at him. His eyes were wide and almost shining, but he seemed stunned that she was offering. "But... Are you sure?"

"I just offered, didn't I?"

"Well yeah, but... You _want_ to, right? Because I'm not making you do anything you don't want to do."

Quistis sighed, trying not to be charmed by his consideration and failing. "Trust me, if I didn't want to do something, you would know. If nothing else, I'd probably hit you."

"That's fair," said Seifer, thinking of how she'd slapped his hands away in the elevator.

He sat up and tried not to completely lose it as Quistis knelt down, her hesitant and yet excited eyes meeting his for a second before dropping away. She was clumsy, no two ways about it, but enthusiasm counted for a lot. Just when things were getting to be too much, though, a sudden impact rocked the truck and made both of them freeze. Immediately they sat up and looked around, the fear of being spotted instantly killing the mood. When Seifer rolled down the window and looked around, he swore when he saw no less than five Bite Bugs buzzing around the truck.

"Fuckin' monsters," he swore, almost red-eyed with wrath.

"I suppose we should deal with that," sighed Quistis, and Seifer grudgingly agreed. If the truck came back with dents, there would be questions.

After dispatching the Bite Bugs, Quistis checked the time and regretfully announced they had to start moving again, and soon they were back on the road as though nothing happened. The energy in the compartment was definitely different though and Quistis kept sneaking looks at Seifer only to find that he was either looking at her too or turning away so she wouldn't catch him staring. It was patently silly and it made her giggle, but this sort of lightness and ease felt really, really nice. On a whim Quistis rolled the window down and pulled the clip out of her hair.

"This isn't a convertible," said Seifer, glancing at her sidelong anyway.

"Shush," said Quistis, leaning out so the wind would rush through her hair. "I'm basking."

Seifer chuckled and kept driving.

It wasn't until they were almost at Balamb that Quistis remembered Seifer hadn't gotten his, but by the time she worked up the courage to ask if he wanted her to do something, they were already driving into town. There would probably be an opportunity on the way back, monsters in the trunk and all; the Grat sprouts were typically eight inches tall and packed frozen, while the juvenile T-Rexaurs were always re-sedated before being put on the truck. When they drove down to the harbor, the boat was waiting.

"Park the car and open the doors," said Quistis as they approached. "There's some paperwork I need to handle."

"Okay. Do we load the monsters on?"

"No, the teamsters do that." Quistis hesitated as something occurred to her. "It usually takes about twenty minutes, so if you want to walk around town for a bit..."

As far as 'go buy a condom' hints went it wasn't exactly subtle, but it looked like Seifer got it when his brows rose and he said very evenly, "Maybe I will."

"It's a nice day," said Quistis primly.

"It is."

They exited the car and as soon as Seifer unlocked the doors, he all but speed-walked toward the town. Quistis tried not to laugh, but bottling her amusement only made her stomach flutter with nervousness. No, she realized, not nervousness. Anticipation. Plausible alone time was draining away and they had to make the most of it.

"One hundred and forty-four Grat sprouts, frozen, and two juvenile T-Rexaurs," said the transporter, flipping through the paperwork. "You the SeeD in charge?"

"Quistis Trepe, at your service."

The transporter was middle-aged, portly, and possessed of a wandering eye. Quistis kept her politest smile on as he gave a skeptical but considering once-over.

"Sign," he said, holding out the clipboard. As Quistis signed her name and her SeeD ID number, the transporter asked, "So that guy with you's a student?"

"Yes."

"How many grades did they hold him back? He's a brick shithouse."

"He's actually quite intelligent," said Quistis, nettled at this casual dismissal of Seifer's abilities. "The head of the Disciplinary Committee. And he'll be taking his field test soon."

"Oh." The transporter seemed taken aback. "Just saying, he doesn't look much older than you."

"He's younger than me by a few months," said Quistis, handing back the clipboard. "And I'm an exception."

"Yeah you are," said the transporter with a leer. Quistis chose not to gift the odious man any more of her time and instead turned to observe the loading. The frozen Grats were in metal-sided crates that needed to be returned to the shipping company and currently the back of the truck was full of old containers. The empties were swapped out and replaced with fresh, heavy crates filled with immature monsters that would thaw and thrive in the Garden's Training Center. The T-Rexaurs were loaded on last and at this age, were about the size of large dogs. These ones were young enough to be mottled green and brown instead of red, which was fortunate for them since T-Rexaurs had been known to eat their young. They looked almost cute when they were asleep, puddles of drool and all. Quistis made sure they were re-sedated and watched the restless twitching of their tails still, and when she looked up Seifer was coming back down the path, swinging a bag that seemed to have weight in it. How many condoms had he bought?

"We're all done," she told him. "Time to drive back."

"Okay," he said, nodding. He held up the bag, saying, "Got something for the way back."

"I see," said Quistis, a little shiver of anticipation going through her.

They climbed into the car and Seifer put the bag between them, saying absolutely nothing about it as he concentrated on backing out, changing gears, and driving out of Balamb without hitting anyone or anything. As soon as they cleared the town gates, Quistis hooked the bag with a finger and pulled it over. She saw Seifer grinning and stared to grin back before she opened it up and looked inside.

"What?" She exclaimed, staring in shock.

"You like strawberry and mint chocolate chip, right?"

"Yes," said Quistis, reaching into the bag and pulling out two brightly colored containers of freeze-dried ice cream dots. "But I thought—"

"It's a little obvious, don't you think?" Seifer asked, tilting his head toward her. "People would talk."

"Oh." Damn it, how had she not thought about that? "Well, thank you. You didn't get any for yourself?"

"They didn't have black walnut, so I got a chocolate bar instead. Hand it over."

"Say please."

"Like hell, it's my money," he retorted. But before Quistis could bristle, he paused and added, "Please."

Quistis fought the urge to laugh and lost. She had to open the wrapper for Seifer since he wasn't supposed to take his hands off the wheel, but when Quistis held it out for him to take from her, Seifer leaned down and bit off a corner of the bar.

"I'm not going to mark you down if you take one hand off for one second," said Quistis, laughing aloud.

"Amma feggin emmy femfes," Seifer said, his words punctuated by the crunching of cocoa nibs. Half the part he'd chomped off was still sticking out of his mouth and waggling as he ate. He looked so foolish and yet somehow, so essentially him that Quistis felt _like_ blooming in her chest again.

"You're really going to eat the whole chocolate bar like that?" She asked him.

"Yeff."

Quistis smiled and when he was done, she held the chocolate bar out for him to bite again. But this time when he set his teeth on the candy, Quistis tugged back. To her surprise, Seifer growled like he was a dog with a bone. When she pulled back harder, he actually jerked it out of her hand and ate the chocolate just like that, wrapper still half-on and several inches of it sticking out from his face. When he saw her starting to laugh at him, he growled again but a patently playful sort of way.

"Are you hungry?" She asked him solicitously.

"Yeff."

"Well, if you can survive an hour, we'll be back at the Garden in time for dinner," she said, opening her ice cream. She liked the dots on the rare occasions she had them, though their mass did not total much ice cream at all. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Seifer nodding as he continued to scarf his chocolate. It was peculiarly fascinating to watch him eat without using his hands. They ate in silence and drove in silence for a while longer, and the sudden specter of the Garden on the horizon was more of a shock than it should have been. Their time was coming to a rapid end.

"You're not mad about earlier, are you?" Quistis asked Seifer hesitantly.

"About what?" He asked her, glancing over. "When I said I didn't have protection? I thought you were going to strangle me."

"Oh." Quistis blushed. "Well, you made up for it." As Seifer chuckled, she said, "No, I mean... You didn't finish, did you?"

"No..." he said slowly. "But you don't have to do anything." Seifer looked at her and grinned, saying, "I want something to look forward to."

Quistis laughed both in delight and also incredulity. "I don't know how we could do this again."

"I'm sure we'll figure out something." Seifer shifted in his seat, making Quistis eye him with more than a bit of consideration. Those cadet pants were tight and she thought she could almost see the outline of his shaft against the fabric. "Damn it, that field test can't come soon enough. I don't want to be a student anymore. When I'm a SeeD..."

Seifer stopped himself. He'd almost said, "When I'm a SeeD, we won't have to hide," but he had no idea if that was what she wanted. Seifer glanced at Quistis and saw her staring at him, mouth slightly open. He flushed and looked away, concentrating on the road. And what the hell was he thinking? He tried to picture a future where he and Quistis strolled around the Garden like a couple of dingbats in love and the image was so patently ludicrous that it puffed into smoke. Still...

He imagined passing her in the hall and being able to kiss her without worrying that she would get demoted, or making plans that didn't rely on plausible deniability and straight-up lies. How nice it would be to say, regardless of who was around, "Do you want to spend time with me?" and to hear her say "Yes". Seifer didn't fool himself into thinking that he knew any more about Quistis Trepe than he had a week ago, but he wanted to learn. Soon. Fast. Everything and all that he could.

"Well, at least you won't get in trouble for...stuff," Seifer said, lamely finishing his thought.

When Quistis didn't say anything, Seifer glanced over and saw that she was gazing out of the window. He had no idea what she was thinking and was half-afraid to ask. Minutes rolled by in silence.

"Seifer."

"Yeah?"

"I'm looking forward to working with you. As soon as possible."

Seifer let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and when he caught it again, found himself smiling.

/\/\/\

"Hello?"

"Seifer? Is that you?"

"Rinoa!"

Rinoa smiled at the sound of his voice. It had been nearly a year since they'd seen each other, but the sound of his voice brought back a familiar warmth and a stupid, silly smile she couldn't get off her face. Rinoa twisted a lock of hair around her finger.

"It's been a while," Seifer was saying, sounding pleasantly surprised. The cell phone he was using was a remnant from their dating days; he hadn't had one before being with her. She was certain he'd shut it off after they broke up, as amiable as that had been. She still regretted it even as every day made the choice more sensible. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine..." Rinoa stared up at the ceiling. Her room in the Timber Owls base was not nearly as luxurious as the one in her dad's mansion, but it definitely felt more like home. In fact, this was the first place where she and Seifer had... Rinoa shook herself out of pleasant remembrances. "Have you taken your test yet?"

"Hasn't been scheduled yet."

"Oh. Darn."

"Why? Do you need a SeeD for something?"

"Uh, sort of." Rinoa saw Angelo pad into the room and patted her chest, making the dog trot toward her and then leap onto the bed. Rinoa ruffled Angelo's ears as she said, "There's an opportunity and 'we' need professionals. I was hoping... Well, you're not a SeeD, but you know the Headmaster of Balamb Garden, right?"

"Yeah. Cid. I see him a lot."

"Do you think I could talk to him about hiring a couple SeeDs? But like...at a discount rate? For justice?"

Seifer was quiet for a moment, which made Rinoa bite her lip with uncertainty. He probably thought she was crazy. When he came back on the line, she sighed with relief. "Look, just come out here in about a week. I'll figure something out."

"Really?" Rinoa hugged Angelo, making the dog squirm. "Oh, thank you!"

"No problem," said Seifer, sounding pleased. "So... How are you?"

"Pretty good."

"Any reason why?"

"Well, I got to talk to you again," she said flirtatiously, making him laugh. Her heart still ached toward him. Stupid distance. Stupid schedules.

She had met Seifer a little over a year ago when he'd come out for a special gunblade course at Galbadia Garden, a monthlong intensive that only the best in the world got to go to. Rinoa had been trying to get informants among G-Garden students at the time and had run into him. Oh, he'd been charming. So confident and smart, ambitious too. He didn't laugh at her when she told him about her passion for Timber's liberation either; instead his eyes had also shone with the need for justice and they'd spent all night talking. Rinoa couldn't remember ever connecting with anyone like that before.

They'd known from the start that it wouldn't work out and it was best not to be bitter, but oh Hyne, how she missed him. At first it had been terrible, like her heart was torn out of her chest, but now Rinoa had lived through the worst and thought more along the lines of 'it would be nice if he was here' rather than 'I want him here right now'. And knowing that he didn't hold a grudge, that he even thought of her well...

"Are you seeing anyone?" She asked him. "Because if I'm coming by in a week..."

"Uh..."

"...oh." Rinoa swallowed, but the sudden chill in her chest remained.

"Well, I don't know what it is yet," he said hurriedly. "It's strange. I can't get into it. But I would love to see you again, no matter what. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," said Rinoa against her better judgment, because it was true. And Seifer wasn't the sort to lead women around on a string, she just knew it. She hoped his strange thing fell apart and immediately felt bad for wishing him ill, because strange thing or not, that mystery woman would be there for him when she had to leave again. And Rinoa knew she deserved better than a love that only happened every now and then.

Still, no one had set her blood on fire in the same way since.

They talked about nothing for a while before Seifer had to go on patrol and after they hung up, Rinoa wondered what she was getting into. Angelo had fallen asleep on her chest and was snoring lightly, just heavy enough to cut off the circulation to Rinoa's right arm. Rinoa eased her limb out from under her dog and got off the bed, chewing the inside of her cheek.

"_Well, I've got a week to prepare for this meeting," _she thought, choosing to concentrate on the meeting with Headmaster Cid rather than seeing Seifer again. On the other hand... _"I can prepare for both."_

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I think I pulled off the sanitization pretty well. But this was a test run. _

/\/\/\/\/\


	8. Chapter 8

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

7 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

It was just a normal day in class, or so Squall thought until class ended and he saw a piece of paper fall out of Seifer's coat. Squall wouldn't have looked twice except he saw familiar red pen on the outside of the paper and realized it was a quiz or a test. Not exactly a piece of trash, in any case. Squall reached across the aisle, picked up the folded paper, and tossed it onto Seifer's desk, but a scribble on the inside of the paper caught his eye. Squall frowned. When he looked up, the classroom was empty except for Instructor Trepe and her fanclub, so Squall went over to Seifer's desk and unfolded the paper. Nothing more than idle curiosity motivated him and he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the near-naked, very well done drawing of Instructor Trepe in lingerie made Squall freeze.

Instinctively Squall looked at Instructor Trepe, who was smiling and laughing like a woman who didn't know that one of her students, easily her most challenging student, was drawing pinups of her on the back of his tests.

"_I don't know what's weirder," _thought Squall as he looked back at the sketch and found himself blushing. _"That Seifer draws or that he draws...this. No, this is definitely weirder. Way weirder."_

It was a really good drawing, down the patterns on the lacy lingerie. And was that a bed? She was sitting on a bed. Definitely a bed.

"_Oh no," _thought Squall, sweating. _"This is bad. This is really bad. Why would he draw this? Why would he drop this? What if he dropped this in front of me on purpose? What if I was supposed to see it? What do I do? What if it's some sort of really weird come-on?_

"_...if it was a come-on, wouldn't it be _me _in lingerie?"_

Squall shuddered at the absolutely bizarre and downright disturbing possibility that Seifer had been killing time in class by drawing Squall in lacy lingerie. It was so intensely mind-boggling that Squall realized it could not be and that was a relief. Nevertheless...

"_Should I give this to Quistis? I mean, it's a picture of her and everything... But no. NO! What if she thinks _I _drew it? What if she suspends me? Or fails me?"_

Squall realized he was still staring at the drawing. He knew he shouldn't be, but the face matched Quistis's perfectly, which made him wonder if the lovingly drawn curves of the figure's bre—_arms and legs_ were true to life too. It made Squall wonder if Seifer's imagination was really good or if somehow...

...he had seen Quistis like this and been able to draw her.

Squall shuddered at that mental image too, though this one was disturbing and improbable because of what it implied. Besides, if it was true, why was Seifer still getting barely passing grades on Quistis's tests? Surely that sort of 'activity' would count as extra credit, right?

Unless Seifer liked being 'punished' for being a 'bad student'...

Squall made a noise of pain as his brain seemed to break. He folded the paper up and stuck it in his back pocket. He'd figure out what to do with this later. Right now he needed to get out of the classroom before anyone noticed he was walking funny. Normally he didn't think his pants were tight, but today was not one of those days.

Quistis and her fanclub were between him and the door, so Squall hugged the wall to get out. He tried not to look at Quistis but couldn't help it and instantly found himself wondering what she was wearing underneath her uniform. It could be anything. More lingerie or some leather bondage thing (she used a whip! It was possible!) or maybe nothing at all...?

Squall walked into the side of the door. Quistis gasped and the Trepies tittered.

"Smooth," said a mocking voice from the hall. As Squall rubbed his face, he looked up and felt his blood freeze as he saw Seifer _and_ Fujin and Raijin in the hall. So much for tracking Seifer down and giving him the paper back discreetly.

"Shut up," Squall snapped. Seifer's brows rose.

"You're in a mood today," said Seifer, folding his arms and drumming his fingertips. "What's wrong? Puberty finally catch up with you?"

"Shut uuup," Squall growled, blushing. Of all days, Seifer had to say that today. Squall's back pocket seemed to burn. Stupid drawing!

"Awww, it did!" Seifer sounded delighted, which made Squall wonder if Seifer was actually delighted. Maybe the sketch was a weird gift after all. 'Welcome to manhood, jerk off to our teacher'. AUGH!

"Seifer!" Quistis called from the classroom, coming to lean out into the hall.

"What?"

"Knock it off!"

"It's just a bit of friendly teasing," said Seifer with a shrug. Squall felt his skin creeping as Seifer looked at either him or Quistis with a bit of leer, saying, "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"Just ignore him," said Quistis to Squall, patting his shoulder. Squall jumped when she touched him, making her look at him strangely. "Squall, are you alright?"

"..."

Now Seifer was looking at him weirdly too. Squall suddenly wondered what he was doing with his face.

"_I need to get out of here."_

Stepping out of the classroom, Squall speed-walked for the elevator, hyperaware of everyone in the hall staring at him. He couldn't hit the button fast enough but when it arrived, his hell only intensified. Squall walked in and turned around to find Seifer and his posse also walking in. Squall must have made a noise or something because Fujin looked at him weirdly. But being Fujin, she said nothing.

The elevator was cramped. And it only got more cramped as instead of going down, the elevator instead went up to the third floor. When the door opened, two faculty members, one of them wearing the enormous yellow-plated headdress of test administrator, squeezed in.

"2," said one of them.

"1," said the other.

Never mind that the faculty members were closest to the elevator buttons. Squall saw Fujin and Raijin exchange an eye roll before Raijin snaked his arm around the side of the elevator and poked both buttons. The elevator doors hissed shut.

It occurred to Squall that this was probably the best time to get rid of the drawing in a sneaky, discreet sort of way. Squall was pressed all the way against the back of the elevator but Seifer was standing with his back to him which meant that Squall could probably slide the picture into his pocket pretty easily. Problem solved, awkwardness diverted. Stealthily like in Bomb Disposal 101, Squall pulled the naked sketch out of his pants pocket and reached silently out toward Seifer. He leaned slightly to the side to see where Seifer's pocket actually was.

He couldn't see it.

"_No. No! I know he has pockets on his coat! Where are they?" _Squall wracked his memory. Shit! All of Seifer's pockets were in the front! Damn it!

The elevator dinged to the second floor and one of the faculty members got out. It became less crowded, which also meant more difficult to slide a piece of paper into someone's pocket. Squall started sweating again.

"_I should just slide it under his door or something," _thought Squall. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a pale, strong hand seized his wrist and Squall looked in panic at Fujin, who was looking at him with a suspicious one-eyed stare. He stared back, not knowing what to do. His mind, however, was screaming.

"_Shit shit shit she's going to tell him I need to get out of this elevator right now—"_

Fujin glanced down at the folded up naked picture and a fresh thrill of cold horror went down Squall's back. Still holding onto his wrist, Fujin pulled the paper out of his grasp and looked at it. Her suspicious expression softened, replaced by one of speculation. Then for the first time that Squall could ever remember, Fujin smiled. Why?

"_Oh holy Hyne," _thought Squall in abject mortification as Fujin silently tapped the note to her lips and then slid it smoothly into Seifer's pocket—his chest pocket!—without him noticing. _"No! No! She thinks I'm gay for Seifer! No!"_

As soon as the elevator doors opened onto the first floor, Squall wriggled out from everybody and _ran_ down the steps, ran around the hall, ran all the way back to the dorms with his face redder than a Bomb. The instant he took off, Fujin started laughing.

"What is wrong with that student?" The faculty member sputtered; Squall had nearly knocked him over.

"Puberty?" Raijin tossed out. Fujin started laughing harder, which made Seifer and Raijin look at her curiously. The faculty member huffed and strode off, but the posse exited at a more leisurely pace.

"POCKET."

"Huh?"

Fujin pointed at Seifer's chest pocket, smiling. "LOOK."

"Why?" Seifer checked his pocket. A piece of folded up paper was in there and Seifer nearly opened it up, but a red 78 on the outside made him freeze. He knew exactly what this was. Why was it outside his inner breast pocket? Why did Fujin know about it?

"What's that?" Raijin asked, making Seifer jump.

Fujin giggled. The high, girlish sound was so unlike her that Seifer and Raijin stared.

"LOVE LETTER," she said with great satisfaction.

"From who?" Raijin asked, but then his eyes got as round as saucers. "NOOO! Squall? Ha! No wonder he was running so fast!" He started laughing, rocking back and forth with the hilarity. Somehow Seifer couldn't bring himself to laugh. Cold fear had locked his body into a meat popsicle. How had Squall gotten this paper into his chest pocket? What did it mean?

"_Does he know about me and Quistis? Is it a threat?"_

Seifer couldn't breathe. He'd been trying hard not to think about the consequences of what they'd been doing so far, but if Squall knew and ran his stupid mouth, bad things could happen to both Seifer and Quistis. She might lose her Instructor license. And what would his chances at taking the SeeD test be, if people thought he was banging the teacher for better grades?

Seifer jumped when Raijin started tugging on his sleeve. "Open it up, open it up. What does it say?"

"I..." Seifer stuffed the drawing into another of his inner coat pockets, one that he knew for sure didn't have a hole in the bottom. "I don't wanna humiliate him."

"What? You always wanna humiliate Squall."

"Yeahhh... But not like this. It's mean. Too mean."

Fujin nodded and a moment later, Raijin agreed reluctantly.

"CUTE," said Fujin, smiling.

"Who? Them?" Raijin jerked his thumb at Seifer. "Oh no."

"No," said Seifer, shaking his head vehemently.

"CUTE," Fujin repeated, lacing her hands behind her back and smiling broadly. She was enjoying this way too much.

"Stop saying that!" Seifer snapped at her.

"ADORABLE."

Seifer growled and stalked off, his friends just a pace behind and yet somehow, further away than they'd ever been. He really didn't like keeping secrets from them. Still, how would he explain what he and Quistis were doing? Especially since they hadn't done anything since picking up the monsters a week ago?

Were they ever going to?

That was why on stupid impulse he'd put the sketch into his coat pocket again, realizing only belatedly he was carrying it over his heart. He hoped something more might happen today or at least soon, but she hadn't looked at him once. It...hurt. Unconsciously Seifer sighed.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: Back to the crack for now.

So when I was originally typing this section, something seemed off about Squall so I asked a friend for feedback.

Draft one (written by me as a female): Squall finds the pinup, tells Quistis, informs her he's worried about her safety and asks if she'd like to report Seifer and/or have some backup in kicking his ass.

Draft two (beta'ed by a friend, who is a male): Awkward hilarity ensues, because for most men, the possibility of sexual assault is not always on the forefront of their minds, so they start coming up with wild alternate explanations.

I always saw Squall as trying not to care about what people thought, but at the same time being the kind of person who mildly obsesses over what he thinks other people are thinking of him. He hides it under a thick layer of apathy, but sometimes shit just gets too weird.

/\/\/\/\/\


	9. Chapter 9

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

8 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

In her own rooms, Quistis sighed. And like Seifer, she was not alone.

"What's wrong, Qu?" Xu asked her. They were drinking tea and going over paperwork, Xu looking over supplies and Quistis grades. Xu's room was bigger but Quistis's had the better view, which was why they often went to her room to 'study'.

"Oh... Nothing."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love."

Quistis stared, stunned that Xu would pick those words above all others, but in the next second Xu muttered as she crossed out something on her documents and Quistis realized that Xu had been joking. She hadn't even been looking at Quistis when she'd spoken.

"Well, I'm not," said Quistis, panic nevertheless fluttering in her veins.

"Yeah, I know. You'd tell me, right?"

"Right," said Quistis, wincing inside. She had no idea how Xu would react to the news. Was there news? She and Seifer hadn't had any alone time for a week and there was simply no opportunity to even pass along drawings since the paper quizzes were an anomaly. He didn't need any further instruction, either. Quistis had wracked her brains every night and come up flat. And to make things worse, she had another submission due in about a week. She was determined not to include anything she did with Seifer in future episodes, but a lot of readers were specifically asking for more Bad Teacher. Damn her talent!

"I'm bored," said Quistis suddenly, making Xu look up. "Let's take out a car and go shopping."

"What?" Xu put down her pencil, sounding incredulous but delighted. "You wanna skip out on work to go shopping?"

"It's not like the paperwork will sprout legs and run away."

"True, true..." Xu stood up, grinning. "Yeah, let's go. Ooh, we should take out the motorcycles!"

"No, not the motorcycles!"

"Why not?"

"They're loud!"

"And awesome! Come on!"

"I'd rather take a car," said Quistis. "It's easier to talk in one of those."

"True..." Xu tilted her head. "You wanna talk about something?"

"Well...yes."

"Hmm... Okay. Car it is. Let me go get changed."

Half an hour later they were driving down to Balamb. Technically they were not supposed to use Garden vehicles for frivolous outings but when Quistis Trepe the Prodigy and Xu the First SeeD wanted a vehicle, nobody asked why. Clearly they were ladies on a mission, as even casually dressed they were both prepared for battle. It was only prudent.

"I can't wait until you're old enough to drink," said Xu to Quistis as they rolled out. "There's a really nice little bar by the train station that has dueling pianos. It's a lot of fun. So what do you want to get today?"

"I don't know. I just need a change of pace."

"Oh? How big a change?" Xu's eyes gleamed. "You wanna cut your hair?"

"No!" Quistis clapped her hands over her head.

"But you'd look so cute with some layers!" Xu said. "Come on! Just put a little volume in there. Guys would be eating out of your hand."

"_I only want one guy, and I _don't _want him eating out of my _hand_," _thought Quistis. Which made her smirk suddenly.

"Actually... That lace lingerie set turned out to be really comfortable."

"I know, right?" Xu said excitedly. "So, Olena's?"

"Olena's."

Being a tourist town, Balamb was split in an interesting way; there was the town proper, where people lived and children went to school, and there was also the tourist section which was filled with higher-end shops and restaurants, all of which were run by locals. Olena's was a lady's boutique that featured delicate underthings from around the world and while Xu had originally had to drag shy little Quistis inside, it had now become one of their favorite places to go. Xu always bought something while Quistis typically window-shopped or rifled through the sale rack. Today Quistis went right over with Xu to the fancy lacy underthings, the sight of which no longer made her blush. This was research.

"Hmm..." said Xu as Quistis started to pick things out.

"What?" Quistis asked her.

"You're picking all matching sets."

"Yes? So?"

"Well..." Xu grinned. "Typically... Ladies only wear matching sets when they want to show them off."

"Or I just like my things to match," said Quistis evenly, trying not to blush.

"Yeah, yeah. But that's a boring reason. Is there someone I don't know about?"

"No."

"You said that way too fast."

"And you're...fishing."

Xu clapped her hands in delight. She was nearly thirty but sometimes she acted like a girl younger than Quistis's age. "I knew it! You have been smiling and sighing like a figure in a play for the past month. Who is he? Or her? I don't judge."

"I'm not telling you anything!" Said Quistis, thinking, _"You do too judge. You hate Seifer."_

"Pleeeeease?"

"No."

"I'll buy all your lingerie if you tell me."

Quistis wavered but said, "No." Besides, Xu might want her money back if she knew who Quistis planned on wearing the lingerie for.

"Come on..." Xu put on her best puppydog face, which made Quistis laugh and shake her head. "Pleeease? **Pleeeeeeease?"**

"No!"

"I'll tell you one of my secrets!" And before Quistis could reject the deal, Xu whispered, "I hooked up with an out-of-towner. SeeD from Trabia. His name is—"

"Alton Brenner," said Quistis, annoyed. As Xu blinked, she said, "I went on a mission with him once."

"Oh." Xu was nonplussed, but she wasn't an Ace for nothing. "Wait, how did you find out Brenner was in town? And that I hooked up with him? He was only in for a resupply."

"Uh..." Damn it. Quistis sighed and decided to tell the truth. "Because I saw you two together."

"How? We were only in the..." Xu's eyes got round. "That means..." Xu gasped. "How much did you see?"

"Nothing," said Quistis, eyeing Xu's rapid mood shifts with amusement. "I heard it."

"We weren't that loud, were we?"

"No... But loud enough."

"Oh Hyne," Xu pressed her hands to her face, shaking her head. "Oops. Well, if it's any consolation, we got interrupted by Seifer. And then a bunch of Grats."

Quistis started laughing, more at the memory of Seifer's special brand of humor than at Xu's particular misfortune, but Xu rolled her eyes and said, "That little jackass sure knows how to twatblock."

"Xu, why do you hate him so much?" Quistis asked.

"Who, Seifer? Isn't it obvious?" When Quistis shook her head, Xu sighed. "He's arrogant, off-putting, skates by on his looks, and he has all that wasted potential that he just thinks he is too good to develop."

"What?"

"You only see him in the classroom. I have to deal with him on the practice grounds, and let me tell you, he is all about the fancy flourishes and the style without actually paying attention to the technique." Xu huffed as she began looking at bras and panties for herself. "The problem is that for the longest time hewas the best gunblade user at Balamb Garden. And then we sent him off to that workshop for a month and his head got even bigger, remember?"

"I remember," sighed Quistis. Seifer had returned from G-Garden right at the start of her Instructorship and he had been quite the handful, disrupting class to talk about his travels in an insultingly casual way until Quistis had cut his feet out from under some of his more fanciful embellishments. He did enjoy the spotlight perhaps a bit too much.

"Anyway, while he was gone, Squall kept on working on his technique, so when Seifer comes back, he suddenly finds out he's not the big swinging dick anymore. Doesn't matter how many neat combinations he can do if he can't remember to _pull the fucking trigger_ with every strike! Otherwise he might as well be using a sword."

Quistis thought back to Seifer's GF test in the Lightning Forest. It was true that he wasn't exactly consistent about maximizing his gunblade's potential...

"And then," said Xu, gathering steam. "He has the gall to keep going on about _when_ he becomes a SeeD, when he can't obey orders and keeps thinking he knows better than anyone else! We are the elite mercenary force of the entire world and he wants to run around like a, a, a... A cowboy! Or a bounty hunter." Xu huffed again. "He's just so unprofessional. Anyway, that's why I hate him. Right now, anyway. If he ever cleans up he'll be pretty good, but I don't see that happening any time soon."

Quistis couldn't fault Xu's assessment. She'd thought much of the same about Seifer over the past several months, but now her own thoughts were tempered by what she knew. Seifer was arrogant, sure, but that confidence allowed him to stride fearlessly into student conflicts and get them resolved; he was too proud to get embarrassed by what people might think of him. And he did have trouble obeying orders, but Quistis thought that was because he was very intuitive in battle, able to read an opponent's moves like she could read books. His scores were always perfect on tactics and strategy exams, even if he consistently struggled with procedure. Seifer actually reminded her of lightning, powerful and intimidating but also very versatile.

"_Very versatile," _she thought, her mind hazing a bit as she remembered the way his mouth had moved over her most sensitive parts in the truck. How she wanted to feel that again!

Quistis bought three sets of matching lace bralettes and panties while Xu apparently bought as much underwear as she could fit into her arms, and after that they went to the bath store to sniff shampoos since they were both running low. Quistis's favorite nectarine-scented shampoo got an update with notes of white tea and neroli, which the shopgirl swore would make any man extra affectionate. Xu elbowed her, eyebrows waggling outrageously, as Quistis bought two bottles and all but stuck her fingers in her ears when Quistis insisted it was because of the smell, not supposed aphrodesiac qualities.

Though if this scent did work, she was going to be back for more.

They went to the New Balamb Hotel, a fancy establishment that did not boast ocean views from all around, and made a dinner of appetizers at the bar. Xu drank, which meant Quistis would drive back, and knowing this, Xu drank until she was good and tipsy. Fortunately everyone in town knew most SeeDs by sight, so there was no real reason to chide Xu for supposed unprofessionalism. Unless one wanted to take her to task for gossip, which always bubbled out of her like a fountain when the booze was in her.

"So I heard that Squall got a crush on Seifer."

Quistis choked on her juice cocktail. "What?"

"Apparently Squall tried to stick a love letter in his pocket."

"When did this happen?"

"Earlier today." Xu laughed. "Professor Dawning told me about it. Apparently he was in the elevator when it happened and then Squall got so embarrassed that he ran like a little girl."

If Squall was learning his preferences at this age, no wonder he had been so quiet. Quistis fully understood about how some people struggled with what they liked, especially if they didn't have good support networks. And Squall was famously alone. Her heart hurt a little for him.

"_At least I have friends on the Internet..."_

"How did Seifer react?" Quistis asked as she sipped her juice.

"Oh, he was a complete homophobe about it. But isn't that _hilarious?_"

"It is pretty funny," said Quistis, mentally reviewing Squall and Seifer's interactions over the past year. She'd always assumed that Squall ignored Seifer because their personalities clashed, but maybe it was a case of opposites attracting? Or one opposite being attracted to another, at least. Quistis couldn't exactly blame Squall, considering how her own feelings had managed to change over time.

"You're sighing again," said Xu, making Quistis sit up. "Come on. Tell me what's going on. Did I guess wrong? Is it a girl?"

"I don't see why you're insisting I'm in love."

"Well you haven't offered an alternate explanation."

Quistis swirled her drink. Xu was a very good friend. When Quistis had taken her first SeeD test at fifteen, Xu had been the only one on the deciding council who had stuck up for her and even filed the paperwork to make sure Quistis could attend. Of course, Xu was biased in favor of smart young girls, until then having been the youngest SeeD to graduate at 17. Everyone except Xu had been shocked when Quistis had passed at 15 and since then they'd stuck together, two extraordinary ladies in a typically male-dominated field. And more than work united them; they liked the same movies, were annoyed by the same things, and liked spending time together out of work too. One of their very first bonding experiences had been dramatically reading the backs of romance novels in the store until they got chased out by two red-faced women who were just trying to shop.

Romance novels...

"Well..." Quistis leaned her head toward Xu. "I have a side business. And I'm running out of ideas."

"Oh?" Xu's brows rose.

"You can't tell anyone."

"Of course not! What is it?"

So very quietly Quistis began to explain about her side hobby, though she deliberately left out the Bad Teacher episodes. Xu's eyes got rounder and rounder until she had a 5-week-old kitten's stunned stare.

"Oh holy Hyne," Xu whispered, giggling. "You have to let me look sometime."

"If you insist, but I need ideas."

Xu suddenly slapped the table. "Let's go to the strip club!"

"No!" Quistis gasped.

"Why not? Got a problem with strippers?"

"I do not, but I have no desire to see naked women."

"What? No. We'd go to the _male_ strip club."

"No!" Quistis exclaimed, even more aghast.

"Why not?"

"Because... Because no!" Quistis blushed.

Xu laughed so loudly that people looked at them strangely, which made Quistis hide her face. "How can you be shy about that?" Xu asked, managing to whisper that question.

"Well, it's different when it's real life!"

"Yeah, which is why real life is better."

A month ago, Quistis would have disagreed. On paper, onscreen, every variable could be controlled, which appealed to her need for discretion and safety. On the other hand, she unconsciously shivered at the memory of hot leatherclad palms on her face and the feel of warm lips on her neck. Quistis sighed again.

"Hey," said Xu, making Quistis blink. The older woman touched her shoulder. "Look. I know it's hard right now, because you're young. And honestly, I don't even know if you want to find someone. But if you do, he or she is out there. Give it time, okay?"

Quistis laughed and patted Xu's hand. "I'll be fine, thank you. But I still don't want to go to the strip club."

"Can we go to the special store then?"

"The special store?"

"Oh yes," said Xu, starting to grin. "The 'special' store."

/\/\/\

Seifer usually left his door open in case someone wanted to talk to him in a Disciplinary Committee capacity, but his reputation was such that most people just slid notes under the door rather than talk to him face to face about their concerns. So when Fujin came to visit, she was not particularly surprised to find Seifer alone. He was doing something on his computer that apparently required so much concentration that when she knocked, he jumped and swore. Rapid clicking ensued. Fujin was pretty sure he hadn't been doing anything really inappropriate since his door had been open, but one never knew with boys.

"What's up?" He asked her.

"LOVE LETTER?"

"It wasn't a love letter," said Seifer, but his cheeks were starting to turn pink. "He's just a doofus who wanted to give me my test back."

Considering that 'doofus' was probably one of the mildest insults that Seifer had ever levelled at Squall Leonhart, Fujin immediately sensed something was up. She turned on her best gimlet stare and pointed it at Seifer, who squirmed immediately.

"I hate it when you do that," he muttered.

"TELL."

"There's nothing to tell!"

Fujin pointed at him. "SECRETIVE."

She saw him start to sweat. "No I'm not."

Time to turn up the heat. Fujin closed the door and, making eye contact with Seifer, locked it. Seifer leaned back in his chair, eyes widening.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she approached, her gaze narrowed and determined. "Why did you lock the door?"

"TALK," said Fujin severely.

"About what?"

It was hard to form long sentences without her throat locking up; for years Fujin had been effectively mute after a nearly fatal dog bite had made speaking painful. Only Raijin and Seifer actually listened when she spoke, which was why she ran with them no matter what. She trusted them and they trusted her, which was why secrets were no good. Fujin didn't care about the little secrets, like where Raijin hid his porn stash (over his closet door, flat to the wall with an elastic net). But Seifer had been acting weird for a while and she was done with it.

And when in doubt, it was best to act.

"YOU KNOW WHAT," she said, crossing the room to get to his side. Seifer tried to turn off his monitor discreetly but Fujin intercepted his hand and looked at the screen. It looked like he was making a mix CD. "WHAT?"

"Go away!" Seifer yanked his hand out of her grasp, his fair face turning red. Seifer didn't blush often, but when he did, he turned into a tomato. It was hilarious. Fujin laughed as Seifer covered the screen with his hands.

"CRUSH?"

"No!" Then he paused. "Actually..."

"OH?"

"...You remember Rinoa, right?"

It took Fujin a minute to place the name. She'd never met the girl, but Seifer had talked to her and Raijin about her fairly often after his return from Galbadia. "EX-GIRLFRIEND."

"Yeah. Well... She's coming around in about a week."

"OH?"

Slowly Seifer uncovered the computer screen, resettling his coat. "It ended okay, but... You know. I'm nervous. She's a really cool girl."

Fujin tilted her head, studying him. She couldn't detect anything off and if an old flame was about to visit, that would definitely explain why he had been weird. But why hadn't he just told them? Fujin knew she would like to meet the girl that had turned Seifer's head upside-down for a month.

Fujin looked at the computer screen again and while Seifer blushed, he didn't lunge for the monitor again. She read over his track selections and referenced them against what she recognized. It was Seifer's music so there wasn't anything that exactly schmoopy, but this was definitely a softer, gooier side of Seifer than Fujin had previously been aware of.

And he knew that too. He was probably really embarrassed.

"LOVE?"

"I don't think so," said Seifer, shaking his head. "I mean... Maybe at the time." He smiled, nostalgia softening his face. Before Fujin could fully register her surprise, his expression resettled into more familiar lines and he waved at Fujin in annoyance, saying, "Now will you get out and let me work?"

Fujin laughed and left the room. After all, she would need time of her own to prepare to meet this girl. It wasn't just any girl who was good enough for Seifer, and Fujin knew that Raijin felt the same way. Rinoa had better watch out.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I go to the 'special' store when I'm bored. I don't necessarily buy anything, but it is nice to see what's new and talk specs with the employees.

/\/\/\/\/\


	10. Chapter 10

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

9 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

I'm flooded with fear  
And it don't disappear  
But I'm still standing here

/\/\/\/\/\

Squall couldn't look at Seifer for the next few days for a variety of reasons, and when Seifer ignored him right back, that should have been a relief. Instead Squall stewed, silently convincing himself that something even worse was on the horizon. And no matter how hard he tried to turn his head off, he just couldn't.

Things came to a head when Squall was walking into class and bumped into Seifer at the door. Unintentionally Squall screamed, or at least his version of a scream. What it looked like to everyone else was that Squall jumped violently and stared at Seifer like the taller boy was pointing a gun at his head.

For his part, Seifer looked at him strangely. But when Seifer's opened his mouth to say something, Squall saw recognition flicker across his eyes and the older boy abruptly went stiff. Squall's blood pressure spiked.

Wordlessly Seifer grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the classroom. They both jumped as they all but ran into Quistis. She blinked, frowned at them, and looked down at Seifer's hand on Squall's arm. Her brows rose.

"Do I need to be worried?" She asked them.

"Uh...No," said Seifer, glancing at Squall. "It's just a talk."

Quistis looked at Squall, who could feel himself sweating. "Squall?"

"Everything's fine," he said, looking from her to Seifer and back again.

"Is this a DC thing or a personal thing?"

"Personal," said Seifer and Squall at the same time.

"Five minutes," she said, stepping around them. Squall noticed how Seifer's eyes lingered on Quistis and felt a fresh burst of awkwardness. "Not a second more."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Seifer hauled Squall down the hallway. Normally Squall wouldn't have let Seifer drag him anywhere, but he knew that if he ran, Seifer would chase him down the hall and tackle him the floor. Seifer had done it before (well, years ago) and that was not how Squall wanted to start any day. Squall let Seifer drag him down to the emergency exit and as soon as Seifer turned around, Squall yanked his arm from the taller boy's grip. He resisted the urge to rub his arm even though it was throbbing slightly.

"Alright, what do you know?" Seifer demanded, his voice low and his eyes as sharp as chips of glass. Automatically Squall felt his hackles rise.

"About what?" Squall asked, glaring.

"About that _quiz _you put in my pocket."

"...I think you're sick," said Squall, folding his arms and deciding to go on the offensive. "She's our teacher."

Seifer blinked at him. He seemed genuinely confused.

"You think I—" Seifer dragged his hand over his mouth. "Yeah. Okay. I have a problem. But you keep it to yourself, got it?"

"How big of a problem is it?" Squall demanded.

"None of your business."

Squall narrowed his eyes at the older boy. "How many of those have you drawn?"

"None of your business," Seifer repeated, glaring.

"You know, the more I think about it, the creepier it gets—"

"Shut your fucking face, Leonhart."

"Maybe I should tell the Instructor." As Seifer paled, Squall started to back down the hall, saying, "She's really not going to like what you're doing."

"Don't you fucking dare!" Seifer started after him. Squall turned and started to run. At once it turned into exactly the thing that Squall didn't want to have happen and he almost predicted when Seifer tackled him down, grabbing him around the waist like they were thirteen years old again. Squall struggled and managed to twist around onto his back. It wasn't ideal but at least this way he could punch Seifer or at least push him away. Leaning away as Squall struck at his face, Seifer seized Squall by the front of his jacket and started shaking him, hissing, "If I even _think_ you're going to tell her, I'm gonna—"

"Seifer!"

Seifer froze. Squall twisted around to find Quistis standing in the hall, hands on her waist, eyes practically afire with fury. Several curious students were looking out in the hall too, their faces alive with speculation.

"Stop that right now!" Quistis ordered. Seifer glared at Squall, shook him once more for good measure, and let go. Squall shoved him hard on the chest and got to his feet, dusting off his behind. "What is going on?"

"Difference of opinion," said Seifer, folding his arms.

"Squall?" Quistis demanded, looking at him.

"...whatever," Squall muttered, looking off to the side.

Quistis pressed her temples, taking a deep breath. "That's all you're going to say?"

Squall shrugged. If it had been just her alone, he would have told her about Seifer's pervert activities, but they had an audience and Squall didn't think it was right to let that sort of news spread everywhere. Seifer would be rightly humiliated, but Quistis didn't need that trouble.

Quistis breathed deeply. "Detention for both for both of you. Today."

"What?" Seifer exploded. Squall was a second later after him.

"Now get in class and sit down," said Quistis, pointing into the classroom. "And that is the last time I let the two of you talk by yourselves."

Seifer sputtered but when Quistis fixed him with an icy stare, he huffed and stormed into the classroom, making the watchers scatter. Squall followed at a normal pace and pointedly did not look at Seifer as they took their seats at the back of the classroom. Neither of them noticed Brount, one of their class's Trepies, sneak in and slide into his seat.

Quistis didn't notice Brount either; she was too busy rubbing her temples. Great. Detention. Was that really the best she could come up with? Rules were rules, but Quistis hated that the first time she'd actually talked to Seifer in ten days was a reprimand. She didn't want to do that. She wondered if she could make them take detention separately.

At his seat, Seifer seethed. Not about the detention, though that sucked. No, unrest roiled in his stomach at how bad things had almost gone, though he had to admit that if Squall had to draw any conclusions, a creepy teacher crush was probably the best of all possibilities. At least Quistis's career would survive even if his reputation didn't. There was always the possibility of transferring out once he became a SeeD too, so it wasn't like he'd be tarred with this brush forever.

Class was subdued and people kept sneaking glances back at Seifer and Squall. When the bell rang, everyone exited except for them and Quistis, who walked down the aisle and looked at the both of them, arms folded. She shook her head and sighed.

"Do either of you want to tell me what's actually going on?" She asked, softening her voice. "I know you two don't like each other, but fighting in the halls isn't like you. You're both grown and will be taking your field tests soon. You can't carry this juvenile behavior into SeeD."

"It's personal," said Seifer, trying to communicate with his eyes that it was about them. But she was looking at Squall, who was hunched over at his desk.

"Squall?" Quistis prompted.

Squall sighed heavily. He looked up and made sure no one was around before looking at Quistis and saying, "Seifer draws naked pictures of you on the backs of his tests."

"You little bastard!" Seifer lunged at Squall, who raised his fists with a flash in his eyes. Quistis intercepted Seifer and threw him back into his seat.

"That is enough!" She snapped at him. Then her head snapped around to look at Squall. "Wait, what did you say?"

"A couple days ago, I saw something fall out of Seifer's pocket," said Squall. "It turned out to be a naked sketch of you, Instructor." As Quistis gasped, Squall pointed at Seifer and said, "Today was all about making sure I didn't talk."

Quistis was pale. She looked stiffly at Seifer, who had his arms tightly folded across his chest and was glaring off into the corner. She looked back at Squall.

"You're free to go," she told him. "Not a word of this to anyone. Especially not to the Headmaster or Xu. I don't want them thinking I can't handle this."

"Whatever," said Squall, getting to his feet. Straightening his jacket, he glared at Seifer before leaving. As soon as the door hissed shut behind him, Quistis sagged against one of the student consoles and Seifer glanced at her, his hostile gaze transforming into one of concern.

"You okay?" He asked her softly.

"Why were you carrying that around with you?" She asked in bewilderment.

"I just... I miss you, okay?"

"And I miss you too, but I don't carry incriminating evidence on my person!"

Seifer bristled. "It was a mistake. And he thought I did it, not you. You're fine."

"That doesn't matter!" Quistis fretted.

"What's the problem? You didn't sign it."

She opened her mouth to argue but then shut it, shaking her head. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have..." She clutched her arms.

"I told you before I wouldn't tell anyone," said Seifer softly, watching as Quistis started to tremble. "Not even if they threatened to kick me out. I swear."

"That's not what I'm worried about," said Quistis, shaking her head. "Hyne, what if this goes on your record?"

"Considering that _you'd_ have to make a complaint and _I'd_ have to log it, I don't think that'll happen."

"And if I don't, what would that look like?"

Seifer shrugged. "Like you gave me a talk about the importance of boundaries and appropriate ways to express admiration, and I learned my lesson."

He was so easy with answers, like everything was that simple. Quistis wanted to throw something at him.

She looked really mad. Seifer swallowed the flutter of foreboding in his chest, but it fought like a living thing. He knew what he should ask, but he didn't want to kill something before it even started. Not anymore.

Quistis's chest hurt. There was only one thing to do to protect both of them.

"I want you to get rid of it," she told him.

"What?"

"Just... Get rid of it."

"...okay," said Seifer, unspeakably relieved. "Yeah. First thing."

"And another thing..." Quistis swallowed hard. "We... This... It's not..."

Seifer stared at her, his hand tightening around his arm. He had the feeling that he knew what she was going to say and if she really wanted to do things like this now, at this very moment, when they were both upset, then he was going to give her every chance to back down. And if she didn't, then he was going to let her feel every moment that she sliced them both to ribbons.

Quistis shut her eyes. Seifer was looking at her so steadily, so trustingly. She hated that she cared about that now. Before, when she had wanted to talk about their situation, it had been nearly impossible to get the words out. Now it was like the words were straining against her lips and fear was making her bite them back. Optimism foolishly told her that they could work something out.

"It's over," she choked out. Whatever 'it' was. Seifer slowly closed his eyes and opened them. Quistis cringed as ice seemed to freeze over his eyes.

"I knew it," said Seifer, his voice soft and bitter. It hurt all the more for hoping for the best, but Seifer knew that it was inevitable. He couldn't ever remember being strung up on emotion so high and fast before, even as his inner voice told him that he was stupid to be upset over something that was essentially pure lust. "You don't even want to try."

"This was a very close call," Quistis began, but Seifer was already shaking his head.

"A close call is being under your desk with my hand up your skirt while you're talking to Xu or the Headmaster," he snapped, making Quistis blush intensely. "Or even kissing you in the Training Center during non-curfew hours. This is a pre-emptive strike."

"One of us has to make the hard decisions before we both get in trouble," she retorted, arousal mixing unpleasantly with temper.

"Except it was anything but _hard_ for you to make," Seifer retorted, getting to his feet. "You've always been looking to run, haven't you?"

"That's..." She wished she could whip him. "I don't want to say these things, Seifer!"

"Then don't," he said, reaching out for her. "We never had this talk."

"Yes we did," she said, pulling her hand away before he could touch her. She thought he would back down but instead he stepped forward, making her breath catch in her throat. "What are you doing?"

"Making you regret it," he said, pulling her to him and kissing her on the lips. It was stupid and possibly dangerous. Quistis could knee him in the junk or turn away from him with shock and disgust in her eyes, so even as Seifer tried his best to change her mind with kisses, he was nevertheless tense for any sign of resistance. It did not come. Instead Quistis sighed and melted in his arms just like he'd hoped she would, and Seifer felt his dismayed anger and hurt smolder into something just as passionate and a lot less ugly. The memory of their thwarted activities in the car made him want to do something reckless now that she was letting him try a few more things.

If this was how Seifer kissed when he was angry, no wonder people picked fights to break up and make up again. Quistis found herself clutching the lapels of his coat as he kissed her with increasing hunger, his hands roving all over her body. She was powerfully aware that anyone who took a single step into the classroom would see something they shouldn't, but everyone was gone for the day. They had a little time before reality came back in.

"You should lock the door," he whispered to her, his lips brushing against hers.

"L-lock the door?" Quistis stammered, shock banishing some of her lust. "W-why?"

"Well, unless you want someone to walk in and see us..." said Seifer, nudging her head aside to nibble on her earlobe. Quistis nearly collapsed as sensation tickled down her side and stole the strength from her voice.

"_No, no..." _she thought, dazed as Seifer started kissing down her neck. _"Definitely don't want that..."_

Quistis squeaked as Seifer picked her up and carried her to the front of the classroom, chuckling as she squirmed in his grasp. Sitting her on the front of the desk, he soothed her worries with more breath-stealing kisses until Quistis was hazy with wanting. Reluctantly disengaging with a light push, Quistis lay back on the desk and twisted around so she could reach her bag. There was a remote control key fob in a side pocket that she used to open the classroom every day, but as she rummaged for the device, she felt Seifer sliding his hand up between her legs, fearlessly pushing up her skirt. He'd taken off his gloves and the heat of his bare hand made electricity dance up her inner thighs. A flush of heat went through Quistis's hips, making her feel loose and weak inside.

"I can't lock the door if you're distracting me," she told him, her breath coming short.

"I think you can," he said. He could feel that she was wearing silky underthings again, though he couldn't see what color they were. Seifer watched avidly as Quistis squirmed, and then with a hiss of effort she wriggled, reaching over her head to grab her bag. At last she found the remote key and pressed the button. As the door peeped and clicked, Seifer grabbed Quistis's legs and pulled so she was back at the edge of the desk again. She jumped, especially when he dragged her so her legs were around his waist, and he saw her turn almost painfully red. She was so cute.

Another electronic peep made them stare at the door.

Immediately Quistis pressed for the door to lock again, but someone on the other side unlocked it. With a curse and a blur of motion, Seifer vaulted over the desk and rolled underneath it. Quistis would have stared at him except she was yanking her skirt back down. She hurriedly turned her back to the door just in case when Xu came in.

"Why'd you lock your door?" Xu asked, confused.

"I was about to enter grades," said Quistis, glancing over her shoulder. "I always lock my door for that."

"Oh." Xu blinked. "Okay. Wanna get some ice cream?"

"Ah, not today."

"What?" Xu exclaimed. "_You_ don't want to get ice cream? Are you sure you're working on grades?"

"...Okay," said Quistis, folding her arms. "I am _not_ working on grades. I'm working on that...thing I told you about."

As Seifer stared incredulously at Quistis from underneath the desk, Xu hooted and clapped her hands.

"You are BAD," Xu said delightedly.

"The desk here is more comfortable," said Quistis.

"Mm-hmm, I bet it's downright inspirational." As Quistis sputtered, Xu suddenly exclaimed and clapped her hands again. "HA! No wait, you wouldn't do that."

"Do what?" Quistis asked cautiously.

"Bring those _things_ we bought at the _special store. _You know, just to help things along._"_

Now Quistis gasped while under the desk, Seifer's mind silently exploded with wild expeculation. _What sort of things? Would he get to see them? _"This is a classroom!"

"So?" Xu laughed. "Right now, it's an empty room that you're already using for...you know." Xu laughed and waved her hands at Quistis, who started to sputter. "Okay, I'm done. I'm done. Hee hee hee. I guess I'll see you later. Drink lots of water."

"Go away, Xu!"

Xu giggled on her way out, but Seifer didn't breathe again until he heard her footsteps fade down the hall. Quistis sagged against the desk.

"Maybe this is a bad place," Quistis muttered.

"Why was she able to unlock the door?" Seifer asked, climbing out from under the desk.

"She's the Asssistant Headmaster. She's able to unlock any door she wants."

"Even yours? For your room?"

"No, but..." Quistis blushed. "I... I don't know how we'd get up there."

"Hmm... I could climb up the outside of the Garden."

"Don't you dare! ...There are no handholds."

Seifer threw back his head and laughed, making Quistis look at him in astonishment. She had never seen him laugh so hard before, but what was even more surprising was how he threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. It was so casual and yet expressive that Quistis found herself blushing to the point of pain.

She was so _cute._ Seifer knew she didn't want to hear that, but there was literally no other word to describe the way she looked when she blushed. At least she wasn't shaking anymore. He hoped that meant she was getting more comfortable with him, even though she had just tried to break up with him.

"_I need to become a SeeD," _he thought, wrapping both arms around her and hugging her tight. _"If we're both equals, no one can object. And..."_

And what? Maybe she wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with him? Because the longer time went on, the more he wanted to spend it with Quistis even if it meant being seen in public, with people gossiping and giving him the 'she's too good for you' look. He _hated_ that look.

But as long as Quistis wasn't looking at him like that, he could stand it.

"_Maybe she doesn't want to be seen with me in public, and the fact that I'm still a student now is a convenient excuse. She might want to break things off as soon as I'm a SeeD._

"_...All the more reason to go at her hard right now._

"_...On the other hand, if I stretch things out, she'll definitely come back..."_

It occurred to Seifer that this was probably why so many conversations he had overheard between girls had something to do with 'putting out too fast'. It seemed like it was better to hold out for as long as possible in case the guy was only after sex. Until now Seifer had thought that was being dishonest since if he liked a girl, he liked her for a lot more than her pussy and being intimate together was one of life's great pleasures. On the other hand, Quistis had already tried to break up with him a few minutes ago and while he was pretty sure that a few orgasms might change her mind, perhaps it was best to keep a few things in reserve.

"_I'll knock her out and leave her begging for more," _thought Seifer with a little grin, but he very quickly found out that behind the security of a locked door, Quistis had very similar ideas. He managed to hold onto most of his virtue for the rest of detention, but it had been a near thing and it made Seifer wonder if she felt the same way he did; did she actually want to know anything about him, or just use him for fun times? If it was the second thing, fine—he just had to know so they were on the same page. But the first... Well, the first would be better.

"_I don't want to lose you," _he thought, looking at Quistis as she licked her ruby lips, her eyes glowing with accomplishment. _"Not before I get to see the real you, anyway."_

Before getting back into order and after catching their breath, Seifer kissed Quistis deeply and breathed, "Tell me you want to see me again."

"Okay," Quistis whispered back even as sensibility shrieked.

"And no freaking out and breaking things off at the last minute."

"Okay."

"Okay." He kissed her again. "Because the next time—"

"Shush." Quistis kissed him chastely on the lips, nipping at him before she pulled back. "Give me something to look forward to... In two days' time."

"Okay." Seifer smiled, making Quistis smile back. "I don't suppose I need any more vehicle hours, do I?"

"No, you're all done with those. But we'll come up with something."

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: Thorough porn version available on A03. Just a reminder if you think this chapter is truncated and weird. Also I imagine Squall's head making a WOCKETA WOCKETA WOCKETA noise when he's being rattled like that.

/\/\/\/\/\


	11. Chapter 11

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

10 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

The next day there was a buzz in the halls that made Squall lift his head and look around a bit more, a sort of excitement that only came around when strangers came to the Garden or when something really big was going to happen. Squall suspected it was a bit of both and hoped it was the SeeD field test. Usually the last test of a cadet's career, it was the toughest and the deadliest of all tests, with several cadets usually dying with each one; however, once you made it past the test, that was it. You _were_ the elite. You were SeeD.

Squall had never taken the field test before, but it wasn't unusual for cadets to take it once or twice. Seifer had taken it multiple times, three or four depending on if a mission scrapped midway counted. Though Squall didn't particularly like Seifer, that didn't change the fact that Seifer was the only other gunblade specialist in Balamb Garden AND that he had prior experience that might prove useful.

"_If nothing else, if I do everything he doesn't, I'll probably pass..."_

So in the interest of information, Squall went to Seifer's room that night. He always had the door open.

"Leonhart," said Seifer by way of greeting, leaning back from his computer. It was so casual that Squall almost didn't notice him switch the monitor off. What had he been looking at? Or...drawing? Squall tried not to think about it.

"What can I do for you?" Seifer asked in distinctly unenthusiastic tones.

"I heard there's a field test tomorrow," said Squall.

"Yeah, there might be," said Seifer, his eyes gleaming.

"Wanna train?"

Seifer sat up a bit. "When?"

"The morning."

Seifer looked consideringly at him. "The usual place?"

Squall nodded. They'd learned a long time ago that fighting on the practice ground was not a good way for either of them to get experience, mostly because they kept getting interrupted by instructors who mistook their focus for homicidal intent. After some hunting they'd found a flattish area in the mountains behind the Garden that was surrounded by boulders, and the distance combined with the cover made it perfect for their purposes.

"Okay, sure." Seifer smirked. "It's been a while since I've handed you your ass."

"Don't be so confident," said Squall, folding his arms across his chest. "You've been sitting on yours an awful lot."

"Ha! When was the last time you went through the Training Center, Leonhart?" Seifer laughed as Squall looked away, annoyed. "And you haven't even taken your GF test."

"_Damn, I knew I was forgetting something," _Squall thought with a grimace. "I'll do it tomorrow. After I kick _your_ ass."

Seifer chuckled. Squall glared at him and then sucked up his pride.

"So... If it is a field test... What are they like?"

"Scared, Leonhart?"

"Cautious."

Seifer smirked at him. But to Squall's surprise, he said, "That's the right attitude to have. Field tests are tough."

"How so?"

Seifer folded his arms across his chest and jerked his head at his computer desk, which confused Squall for a moment until he saw the folding chair underneath it. As Squall unfolded the chair and sat down opposite Seifer, the older boy's expression became serious and for a long time he said nothing, his eyes dark with memory.

"I've taken the test four times," said Seifer, settling the question of whether a half-done mission counted. "And every time it was something different. Let me tell you, Squall; they'll shoot you in the back, they'll cut your head off, they will literally tear you apart, and they're not gonna do it neatly or quickly. The only point of these tests is to see if you survive. So you fucking survive no matter what it takes. Fuck the rules. **Survive**. I'm not going to be the only gunblade specialist in Balamb, you hear?"

"...yeah," said Squall, surprised. "Are... Are they that bad?"

"They're worse," said Seifer. "People don't drop out after they fail the test because they failed the test, Squall. It's because they don't want to take another one again."

Squall nodded mutely. He got to his feet. "Thanks," he said to Seifer. "See you tomorrow morning. Eight."

"Yeah," said Seifer, leaning back in his chair. "Hey Squall."

"What?"

"You're not gonna get killed by anything that can't kill me. And I'm damn hard to kill."

"_What the hell is he talking about?"_ Squall wondered. _"Is he trying to be reassuring?"_

"Whatever," said Squall, leaving the room.

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I figure that large-scale missions suitable to take SeeD candidates on don't happen regularly, so Garden schedules them unpredictably and people take them unpredictably. Hence why Seifer has taken 4 tests since becoming eligible to take them at the age of 15.

/\/\/\/\/\


	12. Chapter 12

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

11 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

It had been a lovely morning. Asano Kadowaki had woken up feeling refreshed and energetic, the birds were singing, and nobody was in the infirmary, which Asano was very pleased about. She puttered about the clinic anyway, brewing tea and wondering if she should start a new book, when the door slid open and heavy footfalls made her turn.

"What seems to be—holy Hyne, what happened?" Asano exclaimed as Seifer trudged in, bleeding profusely from the face and carrying an unconscious boy over his shoulder.

"Training," he grunted. He slung the boy onto the nearest empty bed and Asano saw that he'd slapped a bandage over the boy's face. There was blood _everywhere_ and Asano wanted to slap her forehead at how stupid these children could be. "Fucker tried to take my head off."

"So you hit him back?" Asano demanded, gesturing at the boy's bandaged face.

"Hell no. That's what happens when he doesn't keep his guard up. Except he was so mad he couldn't see straight, he tried to kill me, and then he fell off a cliff."

"What!?" When Asano looked at Seifer suspiciously, he raised his hands.

"I swear on my life, that is exactly what happened," said Seifer. His face wound had scabbed over but blood had already dripped down his neck and soaked his shirt. More blood spattered his coat. He must scared the daylights out of anyone who happened to see him, especially considering the insensate boy over his shoulder.

"He must have been dizzy from blood loss," Seifer continued. "Because he charged at a me that wasn't actually there and then he tripped. I tried to catch him, but..." He shrugged. "By the time I found him, he was knocked out cold."

"Oh lord," Asano groaned.

"You might want to fix him up fast," said Seifer. "He's going to be pissed if he misses the field test today."

Asano glared at him and peeled off the bandage to properly dress and heal the wound. More than likely it was going to scar, which was a pity considering how fair the boy's face was otherwise. Squall Leonhart, that was his name. Asano remembered seeing him in the infirmary frequently as a child, usually having been beaten up by Seifer.

"Why do you hate this boy?" Asano asked Seifer as she heard him rummaging through her supplies.

"I don't hate him. Why does everyone think I hate him?" Asano heard Seifer unroll a section of gauze tape. "We're not exactly friends, but we get each other."

"You fight with each other in the halls, you throw insults at each other, and you keep putting him in the infirmary."

"Doctor, look at him."

"I _am_ looking at him."

"No, I mean... _Look_ at him. He's skinny as fuck. He is short. He still needs two hands to swing his gunblade."

Asano took her eyes off Squall to stare at Seifer in disbelief as he used iodine and gauze pads to wipe off his own face.

"Are you _concerned_ about him?" Asano asked incredulously. "Are you trying to toughen him up?"

"If not me, who else?" Seifer wiped the blood off his face, wincing a bit as he dabbed at the edges around the long, fresh cut. It looked very deep. "Leonhart's a loner. No friends, no family. He's gonna die in a hot minute if he's not on his toes and nobody else is going out of their way to make sure he knows what he's doing."

Asano threw her hands into the air. "Boys! I will never understand them, for as long as I live."

After an examination and quick palpation, Asano deducated that Squall seemed to be fine, just unconscious. She cast a Cura on him anyway and went to check on Seifer. His facial wound had scabbed up enough that he wouldn't need stitches, but she didn't cast Cura on him immediately.

"Coat off," she said briskly. "I need to check you for other injuries."

"I'm fine," grumbled Seifer, but he did as he was told. Asano tsked at the bruises marbling his pale arms.

"Are you sure you're not the one who fell off the cliff?" She asked, palpating his arms. Nothing seemed to be broken or even strained, a testament to Seifer's physical condition.

"I may have slipped a bit on my way to get Leonhart," he said, wincing as she dug her fingers into a few of his bruises.

"It's a good thing you wear that heavy coat," she said, inspecting his other arm. Since Seifer was awake, she put him through a range of motion test and a few other diagnostics to make sure he was fine before finally casting Cura on him. "Tsk! And I suppose you're taking the field test too?"

"Yep."

Asano rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll write you an excuse so you can get out of class. You need to rest."

"Nah," he said, making her blink at him. "I'll be fine."

"I'm giving you a pass out of class and you're refusing?"

"The test hasn't been officially announced yet," said Seifer. "And I want to be there when it is."

/\/\/\

"Quistis Trepe speaking."

"Quistis, it's Asano. One of your students is in the infirmary. He was unconscious, but he's awake now. You should come and get him."

Quistis looked up from the class briefing, her stomach sinking. "Who is it?"

"Squall Leonhart."

She sighed in relief and immediately felt bad about that. Still... "What happened?"

Asano's sigh made the phone line crackle. "He was training with Seifer and they had an accident."

"What sort of accident?"

"They cut each other's faces. Shallow wounds, but aiming for the face..."

Quistis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And where is Seifer now?"

"He's coming to class. He says he wants to hear the formal announcement of the field test."

"Mm-hmm... You said Squall was unconscious?"

"Yes, though... Oh, he's waking up. I'll tell him to wait for you."

"Thank you, Asano."

Class wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes. Locking the details of the upcoming field test in her valise, Quistis polished her glasses on her top before heading out into the hall. She was mildly surprised to see Seifer exiting the elevator, but when he turned the corner to come down the hall, she gasped aloud at the sight of the angry red line that cut dangerously close to his eye and carved through his forehead. It was at least a fingerlength long and looked to have sliced through bone. Seifer stopped in the hall as he saw her horrified gaze.

"...That bad?" He asked, walking toward her. She saw him unconsciously reach up to touch the mark.

"It's..." Quistis fought down the urge to run up to him and make sure the face wound was the worst of his injuries, but 1, they were in public and 2, he wasn't moving like he was seriously injured. So she folded her arms and waited for him to come to her. "...It's dramatic. I heard you knocked Squall unconscious?"

"He fell off a cliff."

"How convenient," she said with light sarcasm, but Seifer looked at her flatly and she realized he was telling the truth. "Where were you?"

"Back behind the Garden, near the cemetary," he said. "No one bothers us up there. So, I heard there's a field test today..."

It never failed to amaze Quistis how the students _always_ knew before the formal announcement.

"There is," she said evenly. Seifer was now in front of her and she felt that magnetic charge running between their bodies, making her blood thrum with significance. "I'll make the formal announcement later, but..."

"...yeah." Seifer's gaze was intense. Quistis knew what he was thinking, because it had been on her mind too.

"_If he passes... If he becomes SeeD... What do _we_ become?"_

"...I'll be back soon," she said, dropping her arms from her chest. "Please take your seat in class."

She saw a pop of surprise over his heated gaze, but he understood the need for discretion and walked on. Quistis breathed a thin, silent stream of relief and went to the elevator.

"_Of all days to get into a training accident, it would of course be this one..."_

When Quistis went to the infirmary, she found Squall lying on his back on one of the beds, his hand over his face. Worried that Seifer had struck his eye or something similar, Quistis went over to him at once.

"Squall?"

Squall dropped his hand from his face. Though she knew he'd been hit in the face too, it was still a shock to see the long red mark streaking from above his right eye and down under his left. Seifer had hit him hard enough to carve into bone too.

"_These boys," _Quistis thought irritably.

"What happened?" She asked him, folding her arms across her chest.

"Seifer and I went to train," said Squall, sitting up. "We got carried away."

"I see. And who hit who first?"

"..."

"I'm not asking you to tattle, Squall, I want the correct series of events."

Squall sighed. "Seifer hit me first," he said reluctantly.

"And how was he able to hit you?" Quistis asked. "The direction of the blow indicates he struck you from overhead, and he's taller than you but not by that much. Were you on the ground?"

Squall nodded. "He shot me in the face with a Fire spell. I blocked it, but the sparks got in my eyes. The first thing I saw was..."

Quistis pinched the bridge of her nose again. She could completely believe Seifer would fight fast and dirty like that because she had seen him in the Lightning Forest. And it was hard to argue with the scar.

"Then I got mad," said Squall, drawing her focus. To her surprise, Squall's gaze was lowered and he seemed ashamed. "Really... Really mad. So I swung at him from below. I wasn't thinking. If... If I'd been a little closer, I would have hit his jaw or his neck and not his face... I don't think I've ever been that mad before."

"Don't be too hard yourself," sighed Quistis. When Squall glanced at her, she said, "Facial injuries are very personal. I'm just glad neither of you lost an eye."

Squall nodded silently.

They walked back to the classroom, where Squall hunched into his shoulders and slunk into his seat as everyone looked at him in shock. Seifer was already in his seat, arms thrown back over his chair, and when Squall took his seat on the opposite side of the aisle, he looked sidelong at the brunet boy. The air in the classroom thickened with tension as Squall pointedly ignored Seifer.

"_Boys," _Quistis sighed as she went to her desk.

"Good morning," she called loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Now, as you may have heard... Yes, there is a field test this afternoon. Those of you who failed last month's written exam or who are otherwise abstaining are dismissed; I encourage you to use the time to study the manual or hone your skills in the Training Center. SeeD candidates are to report to the front hall at 1500 hours. Oh, and... Boys?"

There was no question who the 'boys' were. Every head in Quistis's classroom swiveled around to look at Squall and Seifer.

"Kill the enemy, not your training partner," said Quistis. The first she directed at Seifer, the last she directed at Squall. Seifer huffed and looked away, while Squall didn't take his eyes off the floor.

"Class is dismissed for the day," said Quistis, making the students titter with excitement. "And I want to see the two of you up here, right now."

"They're gonna get it," she heard Alia whisper to Nina as the Trepies left the class and Squall and Seifer came up to the desk. Quistis waited until everyone had left.

"Squall already told me what happened," she said, looking at Seifer. "But I haven't had your version yet."

Seifer's eyes flicked to Squall and then back to her. "We were training," he said.

"And during training, you shot a fireball into his face?"

"It's happened to me on field tests before," said Seifer, refusing to be cowed by her disapproval. "And it'll happen on missions too."

Quistis's lips thinned. "And then?"

"And then I assumed he could get his guard up," said Seifer, looking at Squall with annoyance.

"I was blinded," said Squall, equally annoyed.

"All you had to do was draw the blade in front of your face," said Seifer, mimicking the motion. "You didn't even have to lift it." As Squall scoffed and looked away, Seifer said to Quistis, "Then Pretty Boy lost his temper over his new lack of symmetry and tried to cut my head off, which is when I got this dashing accent."

Quistis looked at Squall, who just folded his arms.

"Squall?" She said. "Seifer just accused you of attempted murder. Aren't you going to say anything?"

"No," said Squall, sounding like a rebellious teenager.

"Why not?"

"Because at the time, I did want to kill him," said Squall, making Seifer's brows raise slightly. "I thought he was trying to kill me."

"I was trying to scare you," said Seifer, making Squall glance at him. "I really thought you'd block."

"Well, I didn't."

"Obviously not."

They stared at each other for a while, hackles half-lifted, before both of them eased into more relaxed postures. Squall looked at Quistis, who wasn't sure about what had just happened.

"Permission to get ready for the GF test?" He asked her. "I haven't taken mine yet."

"Oh... Of course. Get ready and I'll meet you at the front gate in about 30 minutes," she said. Squall walked off, leaving Quistis alone with Seifer. She looked at him levelly, refusing to be moved by the slow, rakish smile spreading across his face, and abruptly she swung onto her feet, saying, "Walk with me, Seifer."

"Uh... Okay."

Seifer followed Quistis out of the classroom. Her back was very straight and her boot heels seemed to strike the floor particularly hard, which made Seifer wonder if she was angry. They walked to the elevator and Quistis hit the button for the third floor, which made Seifer's brows raise.

"For the record," he told her as the doors closed. "You heard it was an accident. So if we're going to see the Headmaster—"

"We're not going to see the Headmaster," said Quistis, making Seifer look at her closely. Who was speaking now, the Instructor or the woman he liked? Her next sentence didn't clarify things much. "Seifer, do you want to be a SeeD?"

"Yeah." Why would he be here if he didn't?

"Honestly and truly, do you want to be a SeeD?"

"Yes. Why are you asking?"

Abruptly she whirled, glaring, and if Seifer hadn't already been leaning against the back of the elevator he would have taken a step back. She looked _mad._ When she raised her hand to point at him, he half-expected to get smacked.

"Then stop sabotaging your chances!" Quistis half-shouted, her blue eyes sparking. "Things like this reflect negatively on your ability to work with others, which is _very_ important since we do not dispatch single SeeDs! Ever!"

"I said it was an—"

"It doesn't matter! You have to stop..." Quistis took a deep breath, pressing her hands over her face. She was shaking, except this seemed to be rage rather than embarrassment. "Seifer, you have a great many positive qualities, but working with people who aren't Fujin or Raijin is not one of them. I'll announce this formally later, but for the SeeD test, _you_ are the squad leader. And you're going to be working with Squall and Zell Dincht."

Seifer made a noise of disgust but flinched again as Quistis glared at him.

"I don't care if you don't like it," she said as though he'd voiced his thoughts aloud. "That's who you're going to be working with. And damn it, you are going to work with them _beautifully,_ because if you don't pass the SeeD test, I'll... I'll... I'll break—"

"Okay, okay!" said Seifer hastily, panic hitting like a thunderbolt as he realized what she was about to say. "I'll work with them, I promise."

"No grandstanding!" She pointed her finger at him like it was a gun.

"Okay!"

"Promise you'll pass," she said fiercely.

"I promise."

"Good," she said, the temper easing out of her as the elevator dinged onto the third floor. "Now... Just for a little incentive..."

"Oh?" Seifer's brows rose as Quistis looked at him significantly. She motioned for him to follow and feeling excited and more than a little nervous, Seifer walked behind Quistis as she took a left from the elevator to the faculty rooms. No one was around right now, but he looked up and down the hall as Quistis took him to a door with an embossed nameplate of "Trepe". She unlocked the door with a swipe of a keycard and pulled him in by the belt buckle, making him laugh. For a moment he thought he saw someone out of the corner of his eye... Nah. Not important now.

"Sit there," she said, pointing at her computer chair. But Seifer didn't hear her at first because he was too busy looking around.

"Wow," he said, eyeing the massive picture window overlooking the bed and out over the Alcauld Plains. The back half of the room was slightly elevated and further separated from the main area with open-sided bookshelves that were nearly filled. Quistis had enough room to have a little sitting area _and_ a workspace, which Seifer gravitated toward. As he'd thought, she had a nice dual-monitor drawing setup and one of those fancy tablets that you could draw directly into the computer with. Belatedly he processed her words and sat down in the computer chair, which was very comfy. "You know, if I'd known the Instructors got rooms like these, I would want to teach."

"Well, get two years of experience in the field and you can apply," said Quistis, making him look at her in surprise. "You could be a gunblade instructor."

"Maybe," said Seifer, looking around the room again. "This room is _huge._ Like a quad, but all to yourself. Are SeeD rooms this big?"

"No," said Quistis. "Normal SeeD rooms are about a fifth of this size."

Seifer whistled. And then whistled again as Quistis began to undress, but she shook her finger at him with a smile.

"You sit there and watch," she told him. "Otherwise I'm going to be late."

"Get another SeeD to take Squall," said Seifer, nevertheless smiling as Quistis took off her tie and jacket. "The Fire Cavern's not that far."

"I'm his Instructor, so I'll go with him," she said. She was wearing a thin, silky shell under her jacket today and she saw Seifer's smile widen as he anticipated what was underneath, but she wasn't going to let him off that easily. Instead Quistis waved and went over to her closet, which was on a wall that couldn't see around. When she heard the chair click, she called out, "I said sit."

"I am sitting."

Quistis glanced around and saw Seifer holding the edges of the chair and rolling out, pulling himself along with his heels. He looked very pleased with himself and Quistis had to laugh.

"Fine," she said. "But stay right there. No touching."

Seifer made a noise of annoyance but sat, even sitting on his hands when Quistis gave him a look. For a man whose temper was legendary, he did know how to take directions.

Quistis undressed, feeling Seifer's hungry gaze intensify as she unzipped her skirt and took off her shell. She was wearing plain black panties and a plain black front-clasp bra, but the low sigh she heard Seifer made made her feel better than if she was wearing high-end fashion. She snuck a peek over her shoulder and blushed, suddenly shy when she saw him leaning forward and grinning.

"Can I see you from the front?" He asked her.

"No," she said, taking her battle dress off the hanger. The gauntlets came on first, followed by the vest and the belt. Last on were the long black socks that went over the knee and folded down over the reinforced kneepads of her boots. When she turned around, she was perfectly professional again and Seifer was still grinning like he'd won the lottery.

"That's it," she said, anticipating a look of disappointment. However, Seifer kept smiling. "What?"

"Any time I get to see you near-naked makes me happy," he said.

Quistis blushed. Trying to salvage some semblance of control, she walked over to him and put her hands on his knees, resting her weight on them as she leaned over him with a smile. Quistis kissed him chastely on the lips, enjoying the subtle press of his mouth against hers. When Seifer sighed and tried to go for more, Quistis leaned back and at last saw the flash of frustration she'd been hoping for.

"Behave yourself until I get back," she said, going for the door. As she pulled her whip down from over the mantle, she saw Seifer get out of her chair and pulled it back to its usual place.

"I don't plan on causing any trouble," he said, smirking.

"Oh really?"

"Hey, you said not to sabotage my chances. So—" Abruptly Seifer started patting his pockets, a frown on his face. As they walked out of her room, Seifer pulled a phone from his pocket and Quistis noted that his face went still. "...shit."

"What is it?"

"Uh... Something personal," said Seifer with a quick, strange half-smile. "I'll see you at 1500 hours, okay?"

"Don't be late for the briefing," said Quistis, wondering what was wrong with him.

He nodded and since he obviously needed to take the call, Quistis left him alone on the third floor. She wasn't bothered until she heard him answer and say, "Hey... Rinoa."

"_Rinoa is a girl's name," _Quistis thought, glancing over her shoulder.

She tried to put it out of mind as she went down to meet Squall at the front gate, but an ugly thread of doubt was rapidly growing into a worm. She was not stupid. She knew that Seifer must have had other girlfriends to be able to do what he did, but it was one thing to acknowledge their existence and entirely another to realize that he was still in contact with them.

"_Well, we never said we were exclusive..."_ She realized. _"And we're at the age where we don't_ have _to be monogamous. In fact, it's probably better not to be. How else are we going to know what we like and do not like?"_

On the other hand, Seifer was friends with Fujin and all the times she'd seem _them_ interact, there was not a hint of attraction between them. Maybe Rinoa was like that, another platonic female friend.

"_She must be someone from Galbadia. That's the only reason I wouldn't know her name; I'm passing familiar with most of the people in Balamb Garden and Balamb Town."_

Quistis started to chew the inside of her cheek. Nightmares of cute, petite little girls with dark hair and generous curves started dancing around behind her eyes, making her growl softly. Men always went for cute little girls with no muscle and who giggled at everything they said, soft little airheads who were happy to be protected by anyone with enough testosterone. Quistis had to admit that someone that delicate and silly probably would appeal to Seifer, who in the past had loudly fancied himself to be the pinnacle of the Garden's manhood. He was such a dork.

"_But is he MY dork? ...Wait, 'my' dork? Ugh, what is happening to me?"_

As Quistis walked out to the front gate lost in rumination, she nearly ran into Squall. To his credit, he didn't say anything but Quistis shook herself and shelved her personal issues.

"Ready to go?" She asked him. When he nodded, she pressed, "Did you junction your GF?"

"Yes."

"Let me check."

He all but rolled his eyes and pulled up his sleeve, showing her the hammered metal bracer that SeeDs used to hold onto their GF's summonstones. Intelligently he'd chosen Shiva. Quistis had a similar bracer built into her gloves, discreetly accessible through slots cut in the leather.

"Good," she said briskly. "Let's go."

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I have always thought that Squall had a wretched bad temper. Also, considering how the opening FMV ended, I could never understand exactly how Squall ended up in the infirmary because an unconscious person doesn't sleepwalk to the nurse's office, and it's pretty clear that he and Seifer were alone. We also know from canon that Seifer isn't pure evil. So that's my take.

Here is where things start to get a bit more interesting...

/\/\/\/\/\


	13. Chapter 13

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

12 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

Being the head of a Committee had its perks. Feeling reluctant to take any vehicle that would give the opportunity for mischief, Seifer checked out a motorcycle and rode down to Balamb. He had completely forgotten about Rinoa coming out to visit and wanted to kick himself. He really had meant to talk to Headmaster Cid.

"_And now I've got my field test... Which means she's stuck here for at least a day. Great. Smart, Seifer."_

Rinoa was waiting for him by the train station and when he walked up (Balamb did not permit vehicles on the streets unless it was on official business), she squealed and threw her hands into the air. Seifer found himself smiling before he realized how awkward this could become, and when Rinoa came flying down the steps to hug him enthusiastically, the strength of his response to her touch was stunning.

He had almost forgotten how much he liked her.

"_In fact... Back then, it might have been..."_

Seifer couldn't help but breathe deeply and her hazelnut-scented shampoo brought a flood of memories racing through his veins. In the same moment he remembered the first time he'd seen her and the last time they'd said goodbye, the way she felt in his arms when they kissed and how she would cajole him into trying new things. She was so exciting. This was a girl who knew how to love with everything she had.

"_Would I even like Quistis if Rinoa was around?"_

"It's so great to see you!" She exclaimed, bouncing back. "Scarred face and all. What happened to you?"

"Training accident," he said, self-consciously touching the mark. Seifer still didn't know how to feel about it. It definitely messed with his looks, but it did make him look tougher and that was never a bad thing. "If you'd come yesterday, I wouldn't have had it."

"Hmm..." Rinoa laced her hands behind her back and peered at him, swinging her weight from side to side. "Well, you lived. That's the important part. So tell me about you! Who's your lady friend?"

Wow, she was gonna just jump right into that, was she? In a way it was a relief. Nevertheless Seifer laughed awkwardly as he tried to figure out how to tell his ex-girlfriend about the woman who had never called herself his girlfriend. Rinoa's eyes lit up at his discomfort, mostly with interest but also a little hesitant hope. Damn it.

"Uh..." Seifer rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you hungry? Let's get something to eat."

"You're not getting out of it that easily," she told him, looping her arm through his. "But yes, I am hungry. What's good around here?"

They got sandwiches and ate on the dock, Seifer checking on the time. He had about three hours before the briefing, which meant two hours before he needed to head back and get ready. Technically SeeD cadets could wear either their uniforms or their individual battle dress and typically Seifer wore his usual clothing because it was more comfortable. On the other hand, any little bit would help and he decided that wearing the cadet uniform might give the impression of serious business. So he would need to change in addition to checking his weaponry.

"So what's the field test like?" Rinoa asked, throwing crumbs to hungry seagulls. He'd told her on the phone about the change in plans and though she'd initially been miffed, that energy had now translated into curiosity. If Quistis was a cat, inscrutable and proud, Rinoa was like a dog; nothing got her down for long and she'd knock all sorts of things over in her excitement. It was cute. Against his better judgment Seifer found himself becoming charmed.

"Depends," said Seifer. "It's different every time. The first time I took mine, it was a monster clearing mission for some eggheads in Centra."

"Have you taken a lot of these tests?"

"_In other words, have you failed many of them?" _Seifer thought sourly. Aloud he said, "You learn something different from each one. Today feels like my lucky day."

Rinoa scooted over to him and touched his cheek. When he turned to look at her, she kissed him on the lips. Her lips were not as soft and warm as Quistis's, but there was a welter of ready expressiveness in her that called to his own. Before Seifer knew it, he was twining his fingers in her unbound hair.

"How do you feel now?" Rinoa asked, looking at him through her eyelashes.

"Luckier," he said, grinning.

"_Hyne in hell, are you going to kiss Quistis with those lips?"_

Rinoa smiled but leaned back, tilting her head. "So... Your lady friend."

Seifer groaned and sat back, guilt making him feel slightly nauseous. "Why would you kiss me and ask about her?"

"Because I'm foolish and also very curious," said Rinoa frankly. "And we both know I can't stick around."

Seifer sighed. He remembered a conversation like this over a year ago and it sucked a lot less now, but the bad memories still made his chest hurt.

"Fine," he said, lacing his hands together and looking out over the ocean. "She's brilliant. Proud. Really, really smart. And a basket full of surprises."

"Oh?"

"Yeah..." Seifer toyed with how much to tell Rinoa, but then decided that since she wasn't ever going to meet Quistis, he might as well give out a few more details. "If you look at her, you think she's this uptight, straitlaced professional, but she draws porn on the side."

Rinoa gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Whenever Quistis did that, she clapped both hands over her mouth like she was holding something back, but when Rinoa did it, her splayed fingers went to her cheeks like she was so overwhelmed that she couldn't keep herself together.

"What sort of porn?" Rinoa asked, making Seifer laugh. "Does she try it on you? Oooh! Are you a reference?"

"I... Uh... Don't think so?" Now he was worried. Quistis had drawn the first Bad Teacher episode with him in mind and obviously the collaboration episode was based off the Training Center debacle, but since then he hadn't seen anything that suggested she was using him for research.

"_On the other hand, if she is going to research, she's going to research very thoroughly. That could be a lot of fun."_

Rinoa laughed aloud, so hard and so delighted, that she fell onto her back on the dock kicking her legs and holding her sides. As Seifer grinned at her, she swung back up and looked at him with a huge smile.

"I'll be honest," she said. "I... Haven't been with anyone _good_ since you."

"_Oh shit," _thought Seifer as his blood charged at the thought.

"Really?" He asked aloud.

"Well, think of who I hang out with," she reminded him. "Zone? Watts? Not exactly..."

"Yeah..." said Seifer, thinking of the overprotective nerd and excitable dingbat that he'd been introduced to. "And nobody in high society?"

"They have the looks, but nothing of substance," said Rinoa. "And I kind of hate them. We're all rich off the spoils of empire but I'm the only one who looks down and hates that we're walking on people. They _enjoy_ it." As Seifer nodded in understanding, Rinoa hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the sea. "Hey..."

"Yeah?"

"If you pass your SeeD test... Maybe you can come with me. You know?"

"That...is a possibility."

Rinoa glanced at him sidelong and Seifer could see hurt, resignation, and a bit of annoyance flash across her eyes in quick succession. She had never been good about hiding her feelings.

"You must really like her," said Rinoa, resting her head on her knees.

"I do," he admitted. "She's really exciting once you get past the icy exterior."

"It doesn't tire you out, having to deal with that?"

"Sometimes," he admitted, thinking of all the times Quistis had flinched or hidden away from her feelings. "But I think she's just gone through a hard time. She hasn't been with anyone before me, and I mean all of it. No dating, no kissing, nothing."

"Well, then I'm glad you're her first boyfriend," said Rinoa, making him blink at her. "Really! If she talks to me, I'll give you rave reviews. Five stars, would date again."

Seifer laughed, shaking his head. "I don't think you need to do that. But thanks."

It was so easy and comfortable with Rinoa. And it had always been that way, from the very first time they'd traded snide remarks over some of the paying students at G-Garden who were too prissy to run a mile and get sweaty. Seifer looked at the dark-haired girl and smiled a bit sadly. In another world, there was no question they'd still be together.

"I'd date you again too," he said quietly.

"Yeah, well..." She pursed her lips. "We'll see what happens. Maybe you will come to Timber with me."

"Maybe."

The time wasn't getting late, but things were getting too heavy for him. Fortunately Rinoa understood when he told her that he had to go; she was staying at the hotel and would be there when he came back, so it wasn't like she would be temporarily homeless. Regardless of how things panned out romantically, he did plan to get her into the SeeD Graduation Ball (which usually occurred about two days after the field test) so she could meet Cid, which she was thankful for. Seifer wasn't sure how she planned to get multiple SeeDs for a long-term assignment at a discount rate, but if anyone could figure out that deal it would be Rinoa. She didn't have a mere silver tongue, it was practically platinum.

_"I'm sure I'll see her in action at the Ball... Which I'm going to, come hell or high water, because _this year _I'm gonna fucking pass. I can't afford not to. Even without Quistis being on the line..."_

It would be his fifth failure if he didn't make it. The thought of the renewed whispers in the halls, the scorn, the outright sass people gave him for trying and failing... It made Seifer grind his teeth and hit the throttle.

_"I'm gonna pass that fucking field exam for no one but _me."

/\/\/\

a/n: As much as I'm a Seiftis fangirl, Seifer/Rinoa always holds a soft place in my heart. In the initial game canon, it seems like Rinoa is the only one who has any real hope of Seifer's goodness, which is a nice contrast to everyone going OMFG THAT JACKASS. This chapter flowed really easily; I like the way I think they would have interacted.

/\/\/\


	14. Chapter 14

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

13 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

Seifer rode back, showered, and changed. Mindful of being prepared, he loaded up the pockets of his cadet uniform with bandages, painkillers, and other useful things that he'd desperately missed during his previous field tests. The one personal touch he kept were his gloves, which were for practicality as much as fashion; everyone could use more traction in battle. Checking the time, he headed toward the briefing area with twenty minutes to spare, the earliest he had ever gone out. He met Fujin and Raijin halfway down the hall.

"Hey!" said Raijin in surprise, looking him up and down. "You're early. And..."

"CONFORMIST," said Fujin, also giving him a once-over.

"Shut up," he said, not breaking his stride. They fell in beside him. "I want to pass this thing."

"You always want to pass the thing," said Raijin.

"Yeah, well, doing it _all _my way obviously doesn't work. Might as well tweak a thing here and there."

"_Any little bit might help..."_

Seifer had never asked for feedback after any of his SeeD tests but it occurred to him that talking to Quistis about how she passed might boost his chances. He wondered if he would have the opportunity.

She was standing at the briefing area, speaking to various teams. Seifer debated how much face he was willing to lose, but as he approached the briefing area and saw more than one person already looking at his uniform in shock, he decided things couldn't get much worse. Fujin and Raijin peeled off as he approached Quistis.

"Instructor Trepe, can I borrow you for a second?"

Quistis glanced at him and almost did a double take, even though she had seen him in his uniform before. It made Seifer wonder if he had a hole somewhere and he glanced down at himself but didn't see anything that seemed off. And surely Fujin and Raijin would have told him, right?

"Uh, yes," she said. "But briefly."

"This won't take long," he said. They walked a short distance off and Seifer stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to ignore the looks that people were giving them. A guilty conscience made him wonder if he looked too friendly or respectful when talking to his teacher. "So... Is there anything you can tell me about the SeeD test?"

"You'll get all that information in the briefing."

"No, I mean..." Seifer tried to figure out his thoughts. "I'm not asking how to cheat. Just... Things. Little things that get marked off. What are they?"

Quistis's brows rose. "What?"

"Come on, don't make me beg. I'm already in this stupid uniform, what else do I have to do to pass?"

He was really serious about this. Quistis could not recall a single instance in which Seifer Almasy had ever asked for help for _anything._ At once she wracked her brains.

"Ah, well... Make sure you work with your teammates," she told him. "Understand their strengths and weaknesses. Don't abuse your authority by telling them to do something that they won't." As Seifer nodded impatiently, she realized something else. "And your field test isn't just about you. Don't think about standing out, think about doing your job well. Especially when it's boring."

Seifer felt like growling. He knew all this shit already. Nevertheless he tried to absorb it, knowing that Quistis was doing her best. If he didn't pass this time, it wasn't because he had ignored the youngest SeeD to ever graduate.

"That's it," she told him. There really wasn't much else. Quistis had followed those selfsame rules and passed, no problem. She was actually somewhat puzzled as to why so many people failed, particularly since _her_ field test had been an assassination where everything had gone horribly wrong. In the end, she'd had to kill the target herself. Immediately after that, she had changed her weapon concentration from jian to rope dart, because the amount of blood that had come out from her perfectly executed thrust still haunted her nightmares. She never wanted to be that close to someone else's death again. Ugh.

"Okay," said Seifer. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Quistis hesitated. She wanted to give him a hug or a pat on the shoulder, some real encouragement, but was aware of everyone staring at them. And worse, starting to gossip. Were they standing too close or something? She straightened her glasses and smiled politely. "Good luck, Seifer."

"Aww, Instructor, don't wish me luck." He jerked his head at the people who were not so subtly staring at them, saying loudly, "Save it for people who need it."

"Okay," said Quistis, nettled at his flippancy. "Good luck, Seifer."

As an "OOOOOOH" noise came out of the watchers, Seifer frowned at her annoyed look. Was she mad at him for some reason? Why? There was no good way to ask, so instead he mumbled something that might sound like a swear under his breath.

When he went back to the briefing area, Squall and Zell were already looking at him with their own particular stink-faces. Even as Seifer felt his hackles rise, he forced himself to take a deep breath. He wasn't going to smile at them, but he wasn't going to snap. Folding his arms, he pointedly ignored them.

"Man, why do we have to work with _him?"_ Zell all but whined to Squall.

"The assignments are random," said Squall.

"I know, but come on. This has to be someone's idea of a joke. He whupped you pretty good this morning, didn't he?"

Squall grunted and looked away. Seifer couldn't quite suppress his smirk but then saw Quistis looking at him and wondered what the leaderly thing to do would be.

"It was just practice," said Seifer, making Zell jump a bit and look at him. "Squall and I don't believe in going easy on each other. No one's going to go easy on us in the real world."

Squall nodded, his blue-gray eyes flicking to meet Seifer's in perfect understanding.

"Huh," said Zell, putting his hand on his hip. It annoyed Seifer when he did that, though he wasn't sure why. "Still... You cut his face."

"I cut his too," said Squall unexpectedly, making Zell and Seifer look at him. "On purpose. Seifer hit me by accident."

"...Sorry about that," Seifer muttered, compelled by something he couldn't name. It was easier to say when it was just him and Squall. Zell didn't count, he was another dude.

Squall nodded stiffly. "...apology accepted. Sorry about yours."

And then because it was too weird, they looked away from each other. Zell looked from Squall to Seifer and back again before sighing and shaking his head.

The drive to Balamb took little over forty minutes. As fate had it, Quistis ended up in the car with Xu and Seifer's team, which made for an interesting drive when she ended up sitting next to Seifer. He ignored her; she ignored him. Nevertheless she was aware of his heat and presence and also how distractingly the standard uniform pulled over his body. No wonder so many people had been staring today. Quistis had spotted several girls who had been looking at Seifer with speculative interest and it had taken a surprising amount of self control for Quistis not to yell at them to look elsewhere.

"Hey Squall, can I see your gunblade?" Zell asked, looking at the brunet boy. Squall folded his arms more tightly and looked away. "Pleeeeease? Pleeeeeease? Why are you being so selfish? Scrooooooge!"

Squall's only response was to look at something in the corner of the car.

At first Zell huffed and said nothing, but then he started to get antsy. Seifer watched as his irritated energy turned to nervousness and Quistis smirked a bit as she saw Squall's annoyance reach critical mass.

"Hey, Squall," said Zell, leaning around to make eye contact; Squall looked up at the ceiling, a fabulously blank look on his face. "You aren't mad, are you? C'mon man, say something. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," predicted Quistis as Squall said the exact same thing. Seifer glanced at her as she chuckled and Squall huffed. Quistis caught his look and shrugged minutely, a smile still on her lips.

"_She'd better not like him,"_ thought Seifer, shifting in his seat. _"I know we never said we'd see each other only, but Hyne. Anybody but him."_

Devoid of conversation, Zell got to his feet and started punching the air. Seifer eyed his flying fists and thought they were too close to Quistis's face, even though she had her head down and was reading something in a manila file.

"Knock it off," he told Zell. "It's annoying."

"What'd you say?" Zell demanded immediately, flaring. Quistis glanced at Seifer out of the corner of her eyes, making him grind his teeth a little. If she had to check him this often, no wonder he'd failed before. Fucking annoying rules and social mores.

"I said knock it off, because if we hit a bump in the road, you'll punch the Instructor in the head," Seifer told Zell reasonably. "Sit down."

Zell huffed and threw himself back into his seat. His foot started jiggling immediately. Seifer wondered if Zell would explode if forcibly restrained and imagined the chicken-headed boy's head popping off while the rest of him was in a straitjacket. It was a way funnier mental image than it should have been. At his side, Quistis went back to reading.

"Instructor?"

"Yes?" She lifted her head to look at Squall.

"Who was that girl in the infirmary this morning?"

Quistis cocked her head. "Was there someone there? I didn't notice anyone. Is there a problem, Squall?"

"No, nothing like that..."

"So you like girls after all," said Seifer, chuckling.

Squall narrowed his eyes at Seifer. Then to Seifer's surprise, Squall cocked his brow and asked, "Jealous?"

"I think I'd break you in half," said Seifer without missing a beat. Where was this coming from?

"Who says you'd be doing the breaking?" Squall asked challengingly.

"_I should hit him in the head more often," _thought Seifer. _"He's turning into an interesting person."_

"Who indeed," said Seifer, deciding to change tactics. "You _were_ trying to feel me up in the elevator a while back."

That threw Squall enough to make him scowl and look away, but then Zell made a noise that was half discomfort and half disgust. "I can't tell if you guys hate each other or like each other," he said when they looked at him.

"Can't it be both?" Seifer asked.

"Whatever," muttered Squall, his demeanor becoming sullen once more. Quistis just sighed.

As they loaded onto the gunboat, Seifer caught a flash of blue and glanced toward the hotel. A familiar dark-haired figure was waving at him from the balcony and not sure if he should groan or smile, Seifer waved back. Of course Quistis would be looking at him and she followed his gaze to where Rinoa stood. Rinoa was too far to see clearly, but fairly obviously female.

"Friend of yours?" Quistis asked evenly. The unseemly jealousy was coming back and she punched it down as hard as she could; this was not the time to be swallowed up with personal issues.

"Yeah," said Seifer, looking back at her. She felt mad. She didn't _look_ mad but there was a thickness in the air around her that felt like it would burst into flames if he got too close. Seifer resisted the urge to duck and run, especially because his lips seemed to burn with the memory of Rinoa's kiss on the dock. "And possibly business. She wants to hire some SeeDs."

"Her?" Quistis was surprised. "She doesn't look very old."

"She's not. But she's got some special circumstances."

Well, if it was business... Quistis exhaled forcefully and got onto the gunboat, Seifer a step behind. She did not want to be mad. There was nothing to be mad about.

Except...

"_She wants to hire some SeeDs. What if she wants to hire Seifer? I'm just getting used to having him around..."_

Quistis realized that if Seifer failed, he would stay in Balamb. In the next second she hated herself for even thinking about the possibility. Seifer had studied hard and he wanted to pass so much. She would encourage him and help him, and if it turned out that things didn't work out, as so they often did... If he left her or if he died today...

"_At least I know I'm worth loving, even if it's just for a little while."_

"Hey." Seifer's breath brushed over her ear, making her jump. "Just in case...you know."

She felt something hard poke her in the back. Without looking she reached for the offending object and found her fingers closing around something slim and plasticky. She slid into her jacket pocket without looking, wondering what Seifer had given her. The gunboat was small enough that there was no way to look at it privately.

"You know what?" She murmured back.

"You know..." They couldn't stand in the doorway forever, so reluctantly Quistis walked inside and Seifer followed, sidestepping so he faced her in the narrow entrance. Behind them the door swung shut and sealed with a hiss. "In case I die."

"Oh, Seifer..."

"It happens," he said. "My first test... My squad leader got his head bit off. And my second test, I saw a girl bleed out before the medics could get to her. It sucked. And they had families. I don't, so..."

Quistis reflexively glanced into the gunboat. Squall and Zell were already inside, pretending not to listen. Xu was also in their gunboat and was checking through mission files near the monitor, but Quistis knew she was listening in too.

"Look..." said Seifer, noticing where she was glancing. "Instructor. Just... Give that to my girl, will you?" He held her gaze as he said, "You know the one."

It was like every cell in her body suddenly came alive, though with what she couldn't say. Desire was there, but also sudden fear so deep and strong that it stole her breath. Seifer was right. People did die on the test. The possibility that he might not make it back had never really occurred to her until now; he was just a fixture in her life, like paperwork or ice cream. Even without the whatever they had, he was just _there. _

But that didn't mean it would always be true.

Wordlessly Quistis nodded and Seifer stepped by, taking his seat in the gunboat. Quistis saw everyone's eyes follow him as he passed them by and she realized with an uncomfortable gulp that they would be sitting next to each other again. She went to her chair as Xu switched on the monitor and turned.

"Be seated," said Xu as the gunboat lurched. Anyone else would have gone flying but Quistis saw Xu's knees unlock just enough to remain standing as the vehicle started to pick up speed. "I'll explain the current situation and the mission. Our client for this mission is the Dollet Dukedom Parliament. A request for SeeD was made 18 hours ago. Dollet has been under attack by the G-Army since about 72 hours ago. 49 hours into the battle, Dollet abandoned their position in the inner city. Currently, they have retreated into the nearby mountains and are reorganizing their troops. That's the current status; now onto the mission objective.

"According to our reports, the G-Army is mopping up the Dollet troops in the mountain region. We're to make a landing at Lapin Beach and to eliminate the remaining G-Army within the city to liberate it A.S.A.P. Afterwards, SeeD members will intercept any G-Army forces trying to make their way into the city from the mountain region."

"So what are _we_ supposed to do?" Seifer asked, studying the diagrams on the monitor.

"SeeD candidates are to eliminate the G-Army inside the city," said Xu.

"Sounds awesome!" said Zell, his face shining with manic excitement. Quistis wondered if he'd said his goodbyes too, just in case.

"Sounds boring," Seifer said, making Xu frown at him. "Bitch work."

Xu gave him a very particular sort of smile that made Quistis sigh. "Well," said Xu sweetly. "Think of it as _practice,_ Seifer. How many times have you taken these tests now?"

Seifer gave her an expression that was more like a baring of teeth than a real smile. "Oh, I just _love_ these exams."

"Mm. And you will, for a long, long time." As Seifer growled softly, Xu clapped her hands and said, "Okay, that's it. Any questions, ask Quistis. ETA is a hundred and twenty minutes and we anticipate battle as soon as we land. And..."

Xu looked directly at Seifer, making the air charge again as he returned her semi-glare with one of his own.

"It hardly needs to be said, but the order to withdraw takes priority," she said, her eyes boring into his. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Seifer replied, trying not to snarl back. Xu's eyes narrowed suspiciously but she chose to leave it there. Quistis sighed softly.

Xu left to go talk to the gunboat pilots in the front, leaving Quistis alone with the boys. Zell was immensely excited, shadowboxing and practically vibrating with energy. Squall stared at the floor, an intense look of focus in his eyes. Quistis glanced around to make sure no one was looking at her before she put her hand discreetly into her jacket and felt for the object Seifer had given her. It felt like a CD.

"Hey," he said, making her jump. When Quistis looked, he was looking at her with a soft but serious look in his eye. "That's personal."

"What is it?" She asked him.

"It's a... Well, y-she'll find out."

"I see." Quistis bit the inside of her cheek. "So... Your 'girl'." She saw him tense up. "Are you...formally dating? Exclusively?"

"She hasn't said so," said Seifer evenly, his sea-green gaze never leaving hers. "But if she did, I'd hop on it."

A little shiver went over her skin. "But only if she said so?" Quistis pressed.

"Well yeah," said Seifer, looking away. This was not how he'd planned on having this talk. "I mean... I like her. I really like her. But she plays it close to the chest and if we're not on the same page, I'll just end up lonely."

"_Ugh, did I really say that?" _thought Seifer with an inner grimace. _"Lonely? The hell?"_

Quistis's heart seemed to lurch in her chest but she couldn't drop the act now. "You don't seem to be very lonely. You have Fujin, Raijin..."

"It's not the same," he said, shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong, I love 'em, but... Fuj and Raij are like air, they're just around all the time and I can't imagine life without 'em. But... Her."

"_You."_

Seifer stared down at the ground. Somehow it was easier to tell Quistis what he thought of her if he pretended Instructor Trepe was a completely different person. Even so, it was hard to get the words out. He fully intended to live through his SeeD test, but so had his late teammates in all the years before. There was nothing wrong with being prepared.

"I can't stop thinking about her," he said slowly, something like light breaking through his mind. And it was true. He wasn't thinking about marriage or kids or anything like that, hell no, but for the past two weeks all he had been thinking about was passing the SeeD test so they could be together honestly. That was the only future he wanted right now. Well, maybe not the _only_ future, but definitely a big part of it. Seifer wanted Quistis Trepe, end of story.

"...oh..." said Quistis faintly. She couldn't seem to breathe. "That seems...serious."

"Yeah, well, I don't do things in halves," said Seifer with a little shrug. "There's no point, you know?"

"I suppose..." Quistis had to look away. She hoped her face wasn't on fire.

"How'd you two meet?" Zell asked unexpectedly, making Seifer and Quistis jump. For a moment they had forgotten that other people existed.

"...Training Center," said Seifer, his mind ascramble. "We, uh... Connected. It's hard to explain."

"What's her name?"

"That's none of your business," said Seifer, folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"What? I ain't gonna steal her."

"Still none of your business."

"Well fine, what's she look like?"

"Hot as hell," said Seifer, which made Quistis snort a bit. "Beautiful. But not cute."

"Why not cute?"

"She just hates that word."

"She sounds short," said Zell, which made Seifer laugh loud enough to cover Quistis's choked-off snicker. Obliviously Zell added, "Trust me, there's a time in every short person's life where they are sick and tired of 'cute'."

"Yeah?" Seifer asked, grinning.

"Yeah."

"So who called _you_ cute?"

"...Adriana Peterson," mumbled Zell, turning red. "She patted my head like a dog."

Seifer laughed again, making Zell grumble and look away.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yuk it up," said Zell, glaring at him. "I can break you in half over my knee."

"There sure is a lot of gay in the air today," said Seifer, making Zell sputter. "Between you and Puberty Boy over there. Sorry boys, I'm taken."

Squall rolled his eyes and got up, walking around to the side passages of the gunboat. Aside from a main seating area, there were narrow bunks for longer trips and a very small galley. Squall was probably looking for a snack. Zell huffed and got to his feet, heading for the opposite side. Seifer waited until they were both gone before leaning over quickly and pecking Quistis on the cheek.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, pushing him back. "There are people around!"

"Shhh..." He whispered, an impish grin on his face. "Be really quiet."

"No," said Quistis, immediately transferring herself to the other side of the gunboat. Pointing at Seifer like that would actually stop him, she said again, "No. No. No."

"Okay, fine," he said, flinging his arms out to rest along the backs of the seats. "It's going to be a long two hours then."

"You'll live," she said, making him smirk. "I mean it, Seifer. You're going to live. And..."

"...oh," said Seifer, his expression sobering. "Yeah."

"Did you make this for today?" She asked him, gesturing at where the CD lay in her coat.

"Well... Sort of. I meant to give it just as a present." Seifer looked awkwardly up at the ceiling, a blush creeping up his cheeks "But then when the field test was announced, I figured now was as good a time as any."

"I see." Quistis glanced around and then pulled the CD out of her coat. There was a piece of paper closed inside, folded over with some writing. When Quistis opened it up, Seifer made a noise that seemed to be mostly panic. She glanced at him and saw that he was cringing a little.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Don't read that in front of me."

"Why?"

"Just don't," he said, looking pained.

"It must be very embarrassing."

"It's the most embarrassing thing I've ever written in my entire life," said Seifer, getting to his feet. "I'm getting a snack."

"Wha—Seifer, sit down."

"Nope." He disappeared around the side of the seats, making Quistis shake her head. She picked up the paper and nearly unfolded it, but something made her pause. Seifer was acting very strangely. What had he written in here?

Was she prepared to read it?

"_What if he wrote 'I love you'?" _Quistis thought with sudden fear. _"Do I feel the same way back? Do I love him?"_

How did a person know?

Quistis made herself think about how she would feel if Seifer died on the field test today. Whether he was shot, stabbed, crushed, blown up, or just tripped over a curb and broke his neck, the end result would be the same. Let's play a game and pretend Seifer is dead. What now?

She crushed the note in her hands without meaning to.

"_Oops," _she thought even as her heart rate started to climb. That seemed encouraging, so she put more into that. Seifer was dead. He had died in the field test. Was it her fault? Had she failed to teach him something somehow? Had they lost time kissing and holding each other when she should have been shouting at him to pay attention, to drill him in procedure until it was muscle memory to fight and run and get away?

No, she realized with a soft ache in her chest. All the procedure in the world wouldn't mean a thing in the field. When you were fighting, all you could do was see and react, and she had to admit that Seifer's reactions were some of the finest in the Garden, probably the finest among the candidates now. If he died, he would die on his feet against terrible odds, literally swarmed by lesser warriors...

...while she sat in the gunboat and waited for a man and a future that would never exist.

Quistis shut her eyes. Her chest really hurt. Was this love? Or was it fear? How could anyone tell? She tried to think about what she would miss about Seifer in particular if he died and compared that to what she considered to be selfish feelings. If Seifer died, would she be sad because he was dead? Or because he was no longer around to kiss her and hold her and irritate her and make her want more? Would she be sad because _Seifer_ was gone or because a man she had been intimate with was gone?

"_I don't know," _she thought helplessly. She had so little dating experience. In her mind, the criteria all blended together until her ears were filled with the thundering panic of possible loss. _"Don't die, Seifer. Please don't die. I don't even care if you fail, just don't die."_

"Qu?"

Quistis jumped. Xu sat down next to her, frowning.

"What's that?" She asked, gesturing at Quistis's hands.

"Huh? Oh..." Quistis hastily smoothed out the rumpled note and stuck it back in the CD case, snapping it shut. "Umm..."

"Isn't that the thing that Seifer wanted you to give his girlfriend?"

Quistis cringed. "...yes."

"Why did you open it?"

"...Xu... Before your test, what did you do?"

"Huh?" Xu blinked. She sat back in her chair and rubbed her face, thinking hard. "Well... I called all my family members. I spent like an hour on the phone with my mom. Didn't tell any of them what was happening, I just wanted to hear them. And then afterward I told them I passed and it was great, but... Yeah. After I got off the phone with my mom, I cried for an hour. I was really scared."

Quistis nodded numbly. She looked back at the CD and tried to order her thoughts into something Xu would believe.

"I... I didn't call anyone," she said softly. "I didn't talk to anyone. I didn't... Have anyone. I think I'm jealous..."

"What?"

"Having someone that you care about that much... That you want them to think about you, even if you're not there... That you're worried about them even when you don't exist..."

Tears started to come to her eyes as her heart started to hammer again, this time surging against the sudden need to find Seifer and hold him hard. Was this supposed to be love? It sucked. She hated it.

"Oh, xiaomei," Xu hugged Quistis and patted her hair as the tears started to roll down. "It's okay."

"His girlfriend is going to miss him so much if he doesn't make it," Quistis whispered, shutting her eyes hard. "And the others... Squall and Zell. I'm their teacher. I'll have to call their parents. I never thought about that until now..."

"Hey, listen to me," said Xu, still stroking her hair. "They are good boys. They are smart. They are strong. You have worked so hard with them. They're going to make it back alive."

"But—"

"Shhhh, no no no. They'll be fine. Come on, Squall and Seifer basically concussed each other this morning and here they are. And I've literally seen Zell fall off the second story balcony and get up without a scratch. They'll be okay."

"People will be shooting at them," said Quistis, feeling stupid for stating the obvious.

"Not for long," said Xu comfortingly. "Besides, the boys all have GF's, they all have magic, they're all junctioned, and you know none of them scare easy." When Quistis nodded mutely, Xu kissed her on the head, saying, "They're lucky to have you as their Instructor."

"I just wish I could go and make sure they'd be okay." _"That _he'll _be okay."_

"That is not what they have worked for," Xu reminded her gently. "That is not what they want. Did you want that on your field test?"

"No."

"Right. You were scared shitless, but you had a job to do. Right?"

"Right."

"So that's what they're going to do. They're going to do their job."

Quistis sniffed and wiped her eyes. As she slid the CD back into her case, Xu handed her a tissue and Quistis blew her nose.

"I feel stupid," Quistis admitted. "I'm fairly sure the other Instructors don't worry about their students like this."

"Because they've told themselves not to," said Xu, making Quistis look at her in surprise. "They see the kids as a paycheck. And don't forget, about half of our faculty aren't SeeD themselves, so they have no idea what the candidates are facing. You do. That makes you care more by default."

Quistis nodded. Standing up, she said, "I'm going to get some air."

"Okay." Xu stretched. "I'm getting a snack and maybe a short nap. We're going to be plenty busy when we land."

/\/\/\

a/n: This chapter got rewritten a lot, because the need for fluff was initially quite high. But it didn't lead to good developments later, so I took it out.

/\/\/\


	15. Chapter 15

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

14 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

"Showtime, boys," Xu called into the back as the gunboat began to pick up speed. Her eyes fixed on the monitor, she tsked and said, "Brace yourselves. We're breaching the sea wall."

"The what?" Zell asked, looking around. Seifer shoved him into a seat and sat down himself just before the gunboat shuddered, rattling everyone to their bones. Zell yelped and nearly fell over into Seifer's lap, but caught himself and hauled himself upright. Seifer ignored him and instead looked at Squall, who was silent as the grave and looking more than a little pale.

"Hey," he said, making the younger boy look up. "All you gotta do is follow my orders. I'm the squad leader. Don't forget it."

Emotion thawed the boy's wide gray-blue eyes. Unfortunately that emotion was annoyance. "Whatever."

"Don't screw us up," Zell muttered, making Seifer thwap him upside the head. Quistis opened her mouth warningly but at once the gunboat seemed to groan and slow down. There was a mechanical hiss that made Seifer stand up immediately, Zell and Squall not far behind. Quistis stood up as Xu came to the main compartment.

"Remember the mission objective," said Xu to Seifer as the back of the gunboat hissed. The main area doors were not yet open. "Secure the town square. Remember to retreat. That's it."

"I got it," said Seifer in annoyance. He looked at Quistis, his chest a welter of emotions. If things went really, really bad, this was it. He decided not to give any fucks and in full view, grabbed Quistis and swung her down into a passionate movie-style kiss. Zell squawked but Seifer was only aware of Quistis's presence, her sweet smell of nectarines and something more exotic, and how her surprised little squeak tickled his throat. He wanted to run his fingers through her unbound hair just once. He wanted to say what the note said, just in case.

But there was a mission to complete.

Knowing he had very little time, he dared to taste her just one last time before swinging her back onto her feet. She stared at him like she'd never seen him before, which was the effect had been going for. To distract everyone from her stunned, flushed face, Seifer reached for Xu.

"Come here," he said, grinning wolfishly.

"I'll rip your face off," she said warningly, backing up.

Seifer threw back his head and laughed, adrenaline heightening his every reaction. "Let's go!" He shouted to Squall and Zell, who had identical expressions of shock on their faces. As the back of the gunboat opened, Seifer ran out, his soul singing for combat. He was going to live. He was going to pass. And then he was going to kiss Quistis in front of everybody and _not_ rush it.

Back at the gunboat, Quistis touched her lips in disbelief. Xu made a distressed noise.

"Ew," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Did he get his tongue in there?"

"Uh-huh," said Quistis, staring after Seifer as his figure disappeared into the distance. A shell went off nearby and he dodged nimbly, barely sparing it a glance. And then he was gone.

"Ew," said Xu again, this time with more feeling.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," said Quistis, still distracted. Xu looked at her closely.

"Holy crap, that was your first kiss, wasn't it?" Xu demanded.

"Huh?"

"It _was! _And that jerk stole it! I hate him even more now." Xu folded her arms and huffed, but only for a second. "Incoming. Want it?"

"I'll take it," said Quistis, her focus snapping back as soon as she registered the hostiles running for the gunboat. The chain gun up top would be a bonus for any forces that could capture it and Quistis could see the red glint off the triple-lensed Galbadian helmets as they approached. She wasn't sure why they weren't up in the mountains along with everybody else, but they were about to regret their decision. Quistis picked up her whip from its hook near the door and sprang forward with her blood turning to something like mercury in her veins.

One hard swing and two flicks decapitated two of the incoming soldiers and knocked a third to the sand, his unprotected side fatally torn open. Clumsily one of the surviving soldiers attempted to close with Quistis, but she whirled her whip around her in a shimmering globe of pure defense, yanking his gunblade from his grasp and flaying his arms to the bone at the same time. As he backed up with a shriek, Quistis flicked her whip and plunged the tip of it through his throat. When she pulled the whip free, blood sprayed out in a hideous fountain. He died in seconds.

"Neat," said Xu from inside the boat, a sursurrous whisper of metal on metal letting Quistis know that Xu had drawn her saber. Xu was an expert with anything that had an edge. "Me next."

Quistis exhaled, feeling her skin seemingly harden into armor. There was nothing to do now but wait and survive. Surprisingly her passion for Seifer was only increased by her clinical assessment of his abilities; she fought alongside him to get Quetzlcoatl. Seifer would be fine. He would survive.

"_Come back soon and become a SeeD,"_ she thought, scanning the beach for more hostiles. _"So I can kiss you in public without worry."_

/\/\/\

Seifer tore through the enemy in a bloody whirlwind, his veins ablaze with adrenaline and a special sort of wild joy that very few people, even other SeeD candidates, understood. Squall and Zell were just barely managing to keep up, which pissed him off when he remembered they were his squadmates.

It was somewhere around the fourth dead soldier that he remembered they were _his_ squadmates and he should probably be more of a squad leader. He was never sure how SeeD candidates were actually graded, but if anyone was watching, what would they be thinking? He thought about the specific advice Quistis had given him in the elevator about teamwork and cringed a bit, realizing how things probably looked.

"_There goes that dumbass Seifer, running ahead and leaving his squadmates behind. Power goes to his head. He doesn't work well with others. Not SeeD material."_

Seifer deliberately dialed back the violence and hung closer to Squall and Zell. He noticed that they were fighting as a team already; Zell set them up and Squall finished them off. Zell also had Squall's back when the brunet boy was in mid-swing and couldn't respond to threats behind him. It reminded Seifer a lot of how he and Fujin and Raijin worked together in the field and begrudgingly Seifer realized that this was probably what he had been missing in his previous field tests. He knew how to work with Fujin and Raijin because they'd been friends for so long, but as he fitted himself alongside Squall and Zell, Seifer started to wonder if they just hung back and let him do what he wanted.

If they weren't actually fighting as a team.

The realization was unexpectedly disturbing and Seifer tried to ignore it by paying more attention to what Squall and Zell did. It came to him pretty quickly that Squall was way better at magic than Zell was, while Zell was definitely strong enough to kill people in one hit with the right opportunity. When they got a break, Seifer looked at them.

"Squall, hang back," he said to the brunet boy. "Draw and cast as needed. You're the healer. Zell, what do you have junctioned?"

"Uhh... Ifrit," said Zell, blinking in surprise.

"Boost your strength stat and stay in the front with me," said Seifer. "Take everything on the right."

"Okay," said Zell, now looking at him warily.

"What?" Seifer demanded.

"Nothing. You're just...being leader-y. It's weird."

Seifer heard Squall snort softly behind them.

They cut, punched, and blasted their way to the town square, which Seifer glanced around and immediately did not like the look of. It was empty, which meant no fights and also no cover; at once he started looking for areas they could take advantage of. After clearing out a few soldiers in the square, Seifer looked at Squall.

"How are you on magic?"

"25 Blizzard, 10 Thunder, 5 Fire, 6 Scan, and 10 Cure," said Squall without a single hesitation, making Seifer's brows raise. He'd been expecting something along the lines of 'good, not good, or empty'.

"Okay," said Seifer as Zell boggled at Squall. "Squall, climb up the statue and blast anything that comes from the eastern part of the square." As Squall nodded and went to comply, Seifer looked at Zell. "So I heard you fell off the second floor balcony."

"Hey that was an accident—"

"Is it true you landed without hurting yourself?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah," said Zell, putting his hand on his hip. "My bones are pretty thick. I don't think I've broken anything since I was ten."

"Then get up on that low roof over there," said Seifer, pointing at one of the entrances into the city. "And jump whatever comes from the west. Squall and I will assist when we hear you."

"Cool," said Zell with a little grin.

Seifer had a bit of magic himself, so he took the time to lay thick sheets of black ice over the entrances to the town center before retreating to hide behind a statue. He wasn't honestly expecting trouble, but he needed something to do. A steady refrain of _bitch work _kept going through his head, but Seifer fought it back when he looked around and saw Zell's chicken head just barely visible at the corner of a low roof or when he looked up and saw Squall hiding in the shadows of the elaborate town statue. A weird swell of something like entitlement and pride puffed in his chest, pushing away the resentment and desire for glory.

But what really worked was thinking about Quistis. Quistis's stunned look when he kissed her on the boat, her angry eyes when she knew he wasn't being the best he could be, the tremble in her voice when she said _it's over _and didn't want it to be. Seifer restlessly tightened his grip around Hyperion, telling himself that he needed to calm down and be a good, boring boy. Staying still had always been a problem for him, but he was eighteen now and he could do it. He would do it.

A low whistle made Seifer look up just in time to see Squall cast a spell, and off at the eastern entrance to the town center there was a yell as lightning blasted the enemy. Seifer barreled out from a half-ruined flowershop like a tornado and ruthlessly cut down three of the seven running soldiers before they knew he was there. As he swung at a fourth, unexpected weight dragged him to his knees and Seifer cursed as a solid chunk of ice formed around his hand and a good two-thirds of Hyperion. It was magical ice and would only last for as long as the caster did, but when Seifer looked up to locate who had thrown the magic on him, a Galbadian soldier was in his face, drawing his gunblade back for a deadly thrust.

"_Not today,"_ thought Seifer, firing a Fire straight into the soldier's face; the soldier staggered back, screaming, but another was instantly in his place. The ice was swelling still, growing from magic, so Seifer wrenched his arm up over his stomach and intercepted the enemy gunblade, grinning as the tip of the Galbadian's sword froze into the ice. He rolled and threw the soldier off-balance, breaking his grip on his own weapon. As the Galbadian staggered, Seifer swung up onto his feet and clubbed the man in the head with the awkward mass around his fist, completely knocking him out.

A hideous pain across the top of his leg made Seifer stagger and instinctively he sprang back, blood soaking down the front of his right leg. He'd counted wrong; there had been eight soldiers. Seifer swallowed as the remaining four rushed him, but he wasn't going to die screaming for help.

"BOOYAH!"

The Galbadians whipped around, searching for the noise, but Zell's wild shout had bounced off a building and as a result, they were looking in completely the wrong direction when he charged off the low roof, jumped, and landed on one of the soldiers. There was a crunching noise that had nothing to do with mere impact and Zell flipped adroitly onto his feet, transferring his weight faster than Seifer had ever thought possible to kick twice and send two soldiers flying. The last soldier, a commander in red, raised his arms and then yelled as lightning exploded in his face. Seifer glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Squall landing clumsily in the town square and stumbling into a run, already casting another spell. This time ice bloomed around the Galbadian's chest and the soldier yelled as his armor suddenly became heavier, making him stumble. Squall charged the Galbadian and neatly stabbed him up underneath his chestblade. Seifer heard a little click. And then the soldier's head exploded as the Revolver's large caliber bullet burst out through the top of his skull.

"Ugh, gross!" Zell danced away as blood and brain matter rained down. Squall kicked the dead soldier off his sword and flicked the blood free before looking at Seifer. With the commander's death, the ice around his hand had vanished and Seifer straightened, unencumbered.

"Nice," he told the boys. He meant it. "I thought you two would be scared shitless, but you're doing alright."

Seifer let Squall cast Cure on him before they all went back to their positions. Seifer was feeling pretty good about things now, though this time he put himself in some cover that let him keep an eye on Squall and Zell at the same time. However, excitement rapidly drained away to impatient boredom as the minutes ticked by and the clock called the hour and nothing happened.

It was starting to darken to twilight when from his vantage point on another roof (might as well get the drop from above, no one ever expected it), Seifer saw another set of soldiers running down from the east. He nearly hand-signaled for Squall to attack, but remembering the near-disaster of their last encounter, Seifer made sure to count every soldier. The numbers were not good; twelve regular grunts, two commanders, and what looked like four specialists in green carrying something that was covered in canvas. All of them bristling with weapons. Unlike the yahoos from earlier, these soldiers moved in a pattern and checked their surroundings, making it obvious that it would be very hard to ambush them. Seifer caught Squall and Zell's eyes by reflecting light off Hyperion and hand-signaled that they were to stay put for now.

As they crossed through the town square, one of the specialists stumbled and dropped his canvas-covered bag, spilling something metallic that instantly made one of the commanders whirl around and yell.

"Hey! Idiot! Watch yourself! We don't have spare antennas just lying around, you know!"

"_Antennas?"_ Seifer mouthed, frowning as he saw the specialist gather his things. The soldiers had stopped to let him get his stuff and it occurred to Seifer now that they were all in a cluster. There were too many to take out through conventional means, but unconventional means? Well.

He got to his feet and started to call Quetzlcoatl, praying that Squall and Zell would catch on to what he was doing. Seifer nearly cursed as the Galbadians started to move out again, but Squall at least was quick on the uptake; throwing strategic fireballs and then huge chunks of ice, he had the Galbadians flinching back and tightening into a ball. When the commanders tried to call a retreat, Zell ran around the edges of the formation like a wolf on the hunt, punching people in their kidneys and throwing them when they tried to run. Summoning the lightning GF seemed to take way too long, but at last Seifer felt the crackling buzz of power threatening to explode from his hands and eyeballs and with all his strength he focused on the Galbadians, one clear order in his head.

"_Get them."_

There was a shock as Quetzlcoatl abruptly borrowed his body, popping Seifer into a state of half-death as otherworldly lightning channeled through the lightning GF's mind, through Seifer's flesh, and blasted the Galbadians. Eight of the sixteen soldiers died instantly but the rest of them were just on the edges enough that they staggered.

"The mountain!" One of the surviving commanders shouted to the specialists, who had all made it. "Go! Go! Go!"

Seifer snapped back to the real world with a gasp and nearly dropped to his knees, his body still crackling with electricity. Summoning was rough. Nevertheless he pushed through the pain to jump off the low roof and land in the courtyard behind a surviving soldier, who never saw the blade that cut him in two. Moving helped dissipate the unnatural lightning.

They cleaned up the stragglers handily enough, but Seifer's mind was on the specialists who had run off toward the mountain. Clearly that was on Zell's mind too at least, because when they took a breath at the end of the battle, Zell flicked the blood off his hands and said, "So... Antennas? What was that all about?"

Squall just shrugged. Seifer looked up and around and saw something flashing on the mountaintop. He had no idea what it was until a half-formed memory from an old movie seemed to click in his head.

"That tower," he said, pointing with his gunblade. Squall and Zell turned to look. "They want that radio tower."

"Why?" Zell asked, frowning. "No one uses radio. You can't."

Seifer tapped his gunblade on his shoulder. He could feel the urge to hunt rising up in him, the sheer curiosity of what they would find. But he knew what he was 'supposed' to do, too. Shit. Seifer mentally reviewed the placement of where the various squads were and grimaced when he realized that they were the last between the town and the SeeDs fighting the Galbadians up in the mountains. The four specialists were weak but there was no guarantee that they would remain that way and if they got the jump on any SeeDs, it was likely that someone would blame their squad for not cleaning things up properly.

So really, he was just looking out for his fellow professionals. Go team.

"We're going after them," he told the boys. "New objective: Squad B is to secure the summit and that communication tower."

"What?" Zell jumped. "No! C'mon, Squall!" He entreated the dark-haired boy, who just folded his arms. "Tell him!"

"...I stand by the captain's orders," said Squall, looking at Seifer sidelong. Seifer grinned. He was already sort of glad Squall was along, but this was working out even better than he'd hoped.

"Captain's orders..." Seifer repeated, liking the sound of it. He squeezed Squall's shoulder in a friendly way, noticing that Squall didn't flinch like he usually did. "I knew it. You wanna wreak some havoc too, don't ya?"

Squall shrugged his hand off. "It's training. Thanks to you, I feel like I can take on anyone... Even if they fight dirty."

"Heh. You're welcome."

"No, come on!" Zell grabbed his head. "Are you kidding me? This isn't just a mission, this is an EXAM. A very important one! They will dock us for sure if we leave our position!"

"Listen, if you wanna be a boy scout and stay behind, be my guest," said Seifer, making Zell sputter. "But Squall and I are going."

"Squall..." Zell whined, looking at the dark-haired boy as Seifer started to run off.

"Let's go," said Squall, falling in step behind Seifer. Zell got in one last whine before they ran.

/\/\/\

a/n: I started an art blog that will have pictures having to do with this fic. .com. Enjoy!

/\/\/\


	16. Chapter 16

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

14 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

"Mission successful," said Xu from the top of the gunboat, binoculars in hand. Barely visible plumes of colored smoke glimmered on the twilight horizon, making Quistis breathe a sigh of relief for her colleagues. "Time to pack it in. Send out the runners, will you Qu?"

Quistis nodded and went to the next gunboat over, where Squad A was waiting. They were a mixed bunch, two boys that were probably older than Quistis and a girl who was about her age. Because radio communications hadn't worked in over ten years, any large-scale battle like this needed runners.

"Mission successful," she told the squad, who grinned or whooped. The girl jumped up and down with excitement, making Quistis smile a little. "Time to pull back the other squads. B is stationed in the town square. C is in the cental avenue. D is on the landing. Assemble on the beach at 1900 hours."

They broke off. Quistis's brows rose as she saw the little girl speed off, dust flying in her wake. It was like she had been built to be a runner. With that, Quistis went back to her own gunboat and waited.

"That little one is speed incarnate," said Xu as she came back, tracking her progress through the binoculars. "What's her name?"

"Let's see... I don't recognize her, so she must be the Trabian transfer student. That would make her Selphie Tilmitt."

"She should sprint professionally. Look at her go!"

Quistis laughed. Well, the faster Selphie ran and delivered the message, the faster Seifer and his squad would be back. As the other squads came back to the beach, she counted and found that no one was missing, thank Hyne.

But then Selphie didn't come back.

And neither did Seifer or Squall or Zell.

When fifteen minutes ticked by, Quistis was a little annoyed. At the twenty minute mark, she started to worry. Twenty-five minutes later found her pacing in the gunboat while Xu got on the horn to call the other gunboats and ask their candidates if they had seen Squad B. Finding a set of signal flares, Quistis climbed up to the gunboat nest and fired off three flares, which could be read by any SeeD as:

"Missing candidates. Four."

Quistis waited, heart in her throat. She had no idea how long it was until she saw answering flares from somewhere in the middle of the city.

"Negative."

Two other flares, one from closer to the mountains and one nearer to the beach.

"Negative."

"Negative."

Quistis gripped the flare gun and tried not to panic. The flares had come from all over the place. There were plenty of reasons why full SeeDs would not have seen the candidates. But she couldn't shake the fear and the deep sense that something was terribly wrong. She tried to channel it into annoyance, because she was sure that if she hadn't known the taste of Seifer's lips and the press of his body, she would be _pissed._ Oh that damn Seifer, running into some sort of trouble. He was probably way out of position looking for glory, like he had during his last four tests. He was being an idiot and he had dragged along the rest of his squad.

Or he could be dead.

Dread ran claws down the inside of her breastbone, ripping slowly into her organs. She wanted to be sure they weren't dead. She needed to be sure that Seifer wasn't dead. As the SeeDs started coming back, she raked her eyes over them searching for a familiar red-blonde head or a brunet one or a puff of silly blonde. Nothing. No one.

"Quistis."

Quistis jumped and looked down at the gunboat hatch; Xu was half-up the ladder.

"Anything?"

"No."

Xu sighed, her gaze dark. Quistis suddenly wondered how many of these tests that Xu had gone on as the Assistant Headmaster and how many candidates she hadn't seen return. Quistis swallowed hard.

"Normally I'd say we should clear out," said Xu. "Dollet is safe, so our kids won't be trapped in hostile territory. Plus it's Seifer, so he's probably doing something he shouldn't. But..."

A thundering off in the distance made both women look up. Quistis grabbed her binoculars and scanned the town, jumping as a sudden puff of brick dust in the air shadowed something big and fast. A different sort of dread trickled down into her chest.

"Xu?"

"Yes?"

"Tell the pilot to get ready. All of them."

"Damn," said Xu, sliding back down into the boat.

Another puff of dust. Then an explosion that made Quistis wince. She could tell from this distance that it was lightning, and it happened over and over. She started to sweat a little. Mentally she reviewed her own magic stores and cursed softly when she realized with didn't have any Thunders stocked.

"Come on," she whispered as the lightning drew closer. Now she could see it without the binoculars and the crack of stone and mortar shattering under impact made her tense up. Whatever was coming was very, very large and she had the feeling that Seifer had something to do with it. She bit her lip and while she was waiting, checked the condition of the chain gun. It was primed and ready to go and Quistis aimed it at the likeliest place where the mystery object would emerge, near the stone steps leading down to the beach. She flexed her fingers on the triggers and waited.

Zell and Selphie the runner appeared first, white-faced and sprinting like hell itself was after them. Selphie was running even faster than she had before and Zell was dashing in that go-for-broke way that only the truly terrified could run in. As they ran down the steps, Quistis gasped aloud as she saw what had been chasing them. A looming hunk of a Galbadian machine, something like a massive armored spider, was charging down the road, so huge and heavy that it tore chunks out of the pavement and completely shattered cars as it went. Barely visible in front of it were Seifer and Squall.

"You idiot," Quistis breathed, her eyes going to her man. He was pale but grim-faced and she noticed that he was between Squall and the monster. Was that on purpose?

Or was he just not fast enough to get away?

Quistis aimed the chain gun and waited for the right opportunity.

/\/\/\

a/n: short ending update for another block soon.

/\/\/\


	17. Chapter 17

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

15 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

The path up to the summit was littered with dead Dollet soldiers, but Seifer didn't spare them a second glance. His blood was singing for the love of battle again, the addictive thrill of adrenaline running through his veins. Combat was what he was really good at, what he had been built for. Even being a SeeD was the means to an end. He would be best in the world at what he did no matter how many bodies he had to cut through.

And then no one would ever take away the people he loved ever again.

"Bring it on, you Galbadian cowards!" Seifer shouted as two soldiers spotted him and started running down the mountain. "Come on!"

"You're crazy," Zell muttered.

"Lighten up, wuss," Seifer said, raising his bloody gunblade. On his right, Squall drew from the Galbadians and made them stumble, giving them an opening for Seifer and Zell to finish them off. As Seifer blew a soldier apart with a well timed Fire spell, he heard a cry behind him and whirled around. Zell was fine. But there was an injured Dollet soldier on the path and he had screamed at the sight of them.

"It's fine," said Squall, running up to the injured man. "We're SeeD."

"What's the situation?" Seifer asked, kneeling by the crawling man. He could tell at a glance that the man would probably be okay with some healing and went through his pockets, looking for a potion. With Squall drawing from everyone he came across and distributing the spoils during each break, none of them were low on any sort of magic.

"Fucking G-Army went up to the com tower," coughed the Dollet soldier. "Dunno why, thing's been broken for years. And on top of that, it's always been a breeding ground for m—"

The soldier screamed and Seifer and Squall sprang back as a massive Anaconduar dragged the man into the underbrush. Zell shouted and ran forward, his fists flashing in the twilight sun. In a minute the Anaconduar was dead, but it was too late for the Dollet soldier, who had been ripped open from chest to hip. Squall looked away while Zell shook his head with a sigh.

"Monsters... Huh." Seifer looked at the dead Anaconduar and grinned. "More fun for us."

"Fun?" Zell repeated as they hiked up the mountain. "Puh-lease."

"Shaddup, chicken-wuss."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Zell near-shrieked. Unfortunately his shout brought more monsters down on them, though they were easy enough to dispatch. Alternately fighting monsters and Galbadians, they came to a ridge above the entrance to the communication tower and saw the specialists from earlier making their way in. Seifer hand-signaled for them to observe and they laid down atop the ridge, hidden from view but close enough to hear. As they lay down, Seifer suppressed a grimace; one of the Galbadians had clubbed him in the chest with the butt of his gunblade and it hurt more than he liked.

"_Probably a cracked rib... I'll deal with it later."_

"Finally!" said the commander as the specialists jogged up. "Where's the rest of the—never mind. Get in there! The generator is already up and running and they need the boosters now."

"What the hell are they doing?" Seifer muttered.

"Repairs...?" Squall wondered.

As the Galbadians went in, they got to their feet. "Who cares," said Seifer, putting Hyperion on his shoulder. "How are we feeling, boys? Liking your first real battle? Scared?"

Zell huffed but surprisingly Squall said, "...trying not to think about it."

Seifer looked at him, remembering how pale Squall had been in the gunboat. And how he'd come to Seifer's room to talk about tests gone by. Unlike most, Squall did not mistake a healthy amount of fear for cowardice and Seifer found himself warming to the kid a bit more. At least he hadn't had to worry about Squall's combat abilities at all today.

"I love battles," said Seifer frankly, grinning with the sheer amount of life that seemed to be rushing through his veins. "The way I see it, every battle you survive brings you one step closer to your dream."

"Your _what?"_ Squall repeated, his eyes widening.

"Your dream. Don't you have one?"

Squall folded his arms. "Sorry, I'm passing on that subject."

"What about you, wuss?" Seifer asked as Zell glared. "You got a dream?"

"Punching you in your face when this is all over," Zell retorted.

Seifer laughed. "Keep dreaming." He dodged as Zell swung at him. "What's the matter, Zell? Swatting flies?"

"There you are!"

Seifer looked around, confused. Squall and Zell looked around too, but none of them saw the girl tumble down the pile of rocks until she slammed into Squall and nearly knocked him over the cliff.

"Oops," she said with a little giggle. Looking around, the petite brownhaired girl said, "I'm looking for the captain...?"

"That's me," said Seifer.

She brightened the instant he identified himself. "Okay, good! We've been ordered to retreat at 1900 hours."

"What?" Seifer exclaimed as Zell heaved a sigh of relief. He checked his test-issued watch and swore. "That's in 30 minutes! And the enemy is still around! Are you kidding me?"

"No," said Selphie innocently, cocking her head. She seemed completely unaffected by his anger, which threw him for a loop. "I ran all the way over here just to tell you. You were supposed to stay in the town square, you know."

Seifer growled and raked his hand over his face. They were so _close_. "Fuuuuuu—"

"Orders are orders," Squall reminded him.

"I know! I know!" Seifer irritably slashed at the air. "Fucking..."

He looked at the communication tower. It was stuffed with enemy combatants and he could only imagine how easy it would be to clear the entire building and go home with a real name. Look out for that Seifer, he's a killer. He's unstoppable. He's fearless.

But...

Seifer looked at his squad, automatically grouping Selphie in there too. Instinctively he knew they were all younger than he was and definitely not as bloodthirsty. They would _probably_ follow him if he went in, but...

_"Make sure you work with your teammates," _he heard Quistis whispering in his memories._ "Understand their strengths and weaknesses. Don't abuse your authority by telling them to do something that they won't. Your field test isn't just about you. Don't think about standing out, think about doing your job well. Especially when it's boring."_

"_Or when it's really, really hard..." _Seifer ground his teeth and looked at the communication tower again. His body seemed to vibrate with semi-berserk rage. It would be so easy...

"_The order to retreat takes priority," _he heard Xu biting out in his head.

"30 minutes and counting," said Squall softly, bringing him back to the present.

"Fuck!" Seifer snarled. Turning angrily on his heel, he snapped at the younger teens, shouting, "Withdraw! Hyne fucking take it, withdraw!"

He stomped down the mountain path, barely aware of Squall and the others practically tiptoeing behind him. When he rounded a curve in the path, the ground suddenly shook and nearly knocked Seifer to his knees.

"The hell was that?" Zell demanded, looking around.

Selphie suddenly shrieked. Seifer spun on his heel and nearly screamed himself when he saw the massive mechanical spider dragging itself up the cliff they'd been hiding on. Obviously they'd been spotted.

"Run!" Seifer shouted, not that he had to. Selphie tore down the cliffside path, so fast that her legs were a blur. Zell scrambled past, almost tripping over his own feet. Squall staggered and tried to run, but his face was pale with fear and he stumbled as the huge spider slammed one tree-trunk thick, railroad-spiked foot behind him. Seifer threw a Thunder at the creature but the weak magic puffed off and Seifer felt fear roll up his spine as the flashing red lights around its 'head' seemed to focus on him. Meanwhile Squall got up and started running.

They raced down the path, staggering as the spider-tank chased after them. Thinking of the traps he'd set around the town square, Seifer hurled ice magic in front of them and whooped as it slicked the path; he sprinted ahead of Squall and dropped onto his side, flying down the impromptu slide. Pain shot through his ribs, making Seifer swear, but he didn't have time to deal with it now. When he heard a yell above him, Seifer twisted around and saw Squall sliding too, though he'd landed on his front like a penguin. Any other time it would have been hilarious, but Seifer's eyes were on the hulk of the spider robot charging down the path toward them.

Hitting the uniced ground sent pain jarring up Seifer's legs but he rolled into a run, unconsciously clutching his side. Over his shoulder he saw Squall hit the ground face-first but manage to roll also, shaking dust and stars from his eyes as he got his feet under him.

"Come on!" Selphie shrieked, jumping up and down near the bridge. Seifer grabbed Squall by the back of his jacket and threw him ahead a bit, keeping an eye on the mechanical spider. The ice didn't stop it at all. With a terrible thundering of its armored legs, it chunked and clunked its way down the path and stabbed through the thick magic. It would catch up in seconds. Seifer swore and started running again, swinging his gunblade to get Zell and Selphie to run. Zell ran but Selphie clacked a pair of oversized nunchaku together and whispered something, making the air ripple around her. A far more powerful lightning spell that the one Seifer had shot off made the spider tank stagger and bought a few precious seconds.

Jumping over dead bodies and dodging debris, they hauled ass back to the beach, throwing Thunders over their shoulders when they could. Seifer's chest burned; he never ran this hard back home and clearly that was a mistake that might kill him as he felt the rumbling of the spider tank come closer and closer. Zell and Selphie were far ahead, which was good; instead Seifer kept his eye on the spider tank and on Squall, who seemed to be flagging. Was he limping? When had he gotten hurt? Fuck. Seifer scanned the area ahead as they ran over the bridge and into the town.

"Alley," he shouted to Squall, pointing to a small and narrow space that looked like more of a shadow than a real escape. "Head for the beach!"

Squall nodded and they peeled off the main road, having to run half-sideways down the narrow alley. The spider tank tore at the buildings and they managed to get out just before the wall collapsed. Out of the corner of his eye on the left, Seifer saw Zell and Selphie streaking down the next road. He hand-signaled Squall to follow and they ran after their squadmates, now much closer.

"Oh no!" Selphie squeaked as the beach came in sight. "The gunboats!"

"Don't leave!" Zell cried out as the gunboats' engines roared to life.

"Shut up, there's still one left!" Seifer shouted even as he saw the other four peeling away. A flash of sunny blonde near in the chain gun nest made his heart soar. He fucking loved her right now.

The world seemed to rattle as the spider tank suddenly appeared behind them, shattering every window in the vicinity with the impact of its landing. Squall went flying, banging off a car; Seifer tripped and twisted, landing heavily on his injured side. Horrible pain stabbed through his organs, making him cry out. Seifer didn't mean to but he looked up, seeing the spider tank close in on them. It would be on them in ten of its steps, which meant about five seconds.

With a wrench of effort Seifer rolled onto his feet anyway and started running. Squall was staggering, clutching his shoulder. He _was_ hurt. Seifer saw the younger boy's chest heaving, his face almost grey. Seifer glanced behind them; the spider was still five seconds off. Locating the potion in his coat pocket, Seifer threw it at Squall and hit him in the chest. At once, the magically augmented fluid absorbed into his body and Squall put on a burst of speed that made Seifer stare.

Unfortunately there was no burst of speed for Seifer. Chasing down misbehaving brats, the occasional combat in the training center, none of it had helped this. He'd been fooling himself. And his chest really, really hurt with the effort of sucking down air that didn't seem to do anything. Nevertheless Seifer ran as his vision started to black out around the edges, as the strength of his legs and lungs started to fail more with every stride.

"_I should die fighting,"_ he thought, nearly turning around. Anything to catch a breath. But again he saw a flash of sunny blonde ahead of him and the chain gun pointing straight at the tank. Seifer gritted his teeth and kept running.

"_No. Don't die in front of her."_

"Come on!" Zell shouted from the gunboat; he was already inside, waving frantically. Selphie hovered on the shore, lightly panting as her huge green eyes stared at them hopelessly. As the spider tank crashed through the opening to the beach, Seifer and Squall fell through the tumbling debris and Seifer felt an internal crunch as a chunk of cement hit him in the right shoulder. Shooting pain nearly made him drop his gunblade, but he switched his grip and kept running. The end was in sight, even as every pounding step made Seifer want to collapse from pain. Squall was just barely ahead of him.

Distance. Distance. They needed distance. They didn't have distance.

"_This had better not be the end..."_

"Come on," Quistis whispered, aiming the reticle at the spider tank. Selphie and Zell were just barely close enough that she could shoot without worry, but Squall and Seifer were too close to the tank: she would hit them if she shot now, but if she didn't fire then everyone on the gunboat was dead. The need for action shrieked in her head, making her blood pound. "Come on."

"Quistis!" Xu shouted from below. "Shoot it!"

"Come on..."

"QU!"

Quistis gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger.

Bullets sprayed the ground around Seifer's feet and whizzed past his head; he ducked and kept running, watching the surf churn around the beach as the gunboat began to reverse and pull away from the shore. He saw Selphie jump into the gunboat and Squall leap for it, just barely managing to catch the edge of the already closing doors. Fuck. As Seifer saw Squall haul himself into the boat, Seifer already knew he wasn't going to make it; he didn't have the strength to leap like that and he was too far away. Seifer skidded to a stop at the edge of the surf and turned around, shaking his spotty eyesight. The chain gun was shredding the spider tank but it was still coming. It would still get the gunboat. That fucker could jump.

"_Alright," _he thought, gathering his thoughts to summon Quetzacoatl once more. _"One more time."_

Why wasn't he on the boat? Why wasn't Seifer on the boat!? Quistis kept shooting even as her heart leapt into her throat and tried to tear out of her in a scream. She saw light pooling around Seifer as the spider tank clawed its way to him, chunks of twisted metal flying off as she shot at its joints and tried to slow it down. Seifer lurched into a standing position, raising his gunblade. She could see lightning flashing and crackling over his skin.

And then he vanished.

The avian form of Quetzacoatl burst from the swollen heavens, trailing what seemed like an entire sky's worth of lightning in its wake. Quistis kept shooting, hoping that this would be enough. She had to shut her eyes against the blinding light of the GF's attack and the air itself seemed to shatter as lightning exploded against the spider tank's body, but as soon as the hair on her neck stopped standing up, Quistis opened her eyes. Seifer had reappeared on the beach. The spider tank shuddered and then collapsed in a ruined, smoking pile.

"Nice," she heard Xu say from around her waist; it was the shipboard communication speaker. "Didn't think he could stick it like that. And good shooting, Qu."

"Yeah," said Quistis, nearly sagging with relief. "I'm—"

The spider tank exploded. And a chunk of flaming debris caught Seifer in the stomach and blasted him into the ocean.

"Oh shit," Quistis blurted out as Seifer disappeared beneath the waves. Lightning still played over his body; he was not going to be able to move for a while, not as exhausted as he was. Quistis remembered to drop her reading glasses into her pocket as she jumped out of the gunboat nest and dove into the water.

/\/\/\

a/n: Whoop, there it is :D

I omitted the word 'romantic' from Seifer's speech because while in the game it's pretty obvious that he's using a more old-fashioned definition of the word, it just doesn't make sense in context with this fic. Even though we know otherwise, it would seem like he was exclusively talking about Quistis and that's not the feel I wanted at all.

/\/\/\/\/\/\


	18. Chapter 18

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

16 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

Water seemed to swallow him whole, subsuming the utter shock of the cannonball-sized piece of shrapnel that had slammed into his chest. As the waves closed above his head and dragged him under, Seifer realized that he was going to start drowning the second he could breathe. The twisted, shattered mass of the spider tank seemed to glitter in his mind's eye, making him grin faintly; that was a pretty impressive kill, and if it had to be the last... Well, that wasn't so bad. He watched the last of the sunlight play across the ocean above him and wondered what his obituary would say...

Obituary?

"_I'm going to miss you so much."_

"_No," _he thought, his fingers twitching. Pain shot up his arm but he worked with it, reassuring himself that it just meant he was alive. _"No! Not like this, not in some bitch way. Not dying, not now... I haven't even seen her naked yet! All the way naked, not in a damn truck! Fuck! Fuck you, Almasy! Move!"_

Unfortunately his body translated 'move' into "breathe" and Seifer suddenly found himself choking. Seawater rushed into his battered lungs and seemed to drag him further down.

A mermaid appeared out of the depths and grabbed him under the arms, kicking with a tail that felt suspiciously like two legs. She was really strong. As they broke the surface Seifer vomited up saltwater, dizzy with relief and pain that still shot through his shoulder and ached fiercely throughout his stomach. At least he was still holding Hyperion.

"Breathe," said the mermaid. "Come on."

"...Quistis?"

"Yes."

"What...?" __"Why are you out here?"__

She huffed and began to swim toward the gunboat, which he was aware of as a dark smear on his vision. "Don't be surprised. Of course I'd get you."

"Oh." Seifer tried to kick and help her along. He knew he was heavy.

"Don't move, just let me pull."

"Okay."

He heard the back of the gunboat open and several hands grabbed his jacket and hauled him out of the water. Sudden motion and pain nearly made his vision go white, but his soaked lungs couldn't expand enough to create a shout. Quistis pulled herself out of the sea but let Xu give her a hand up onto her feet.

"Nice quick thinking," said the older woman. "To both of you."

"Huh?" Seifer looked at Xu blearily. He felt like his eyes were crossing. There was nothing quite like the pain of a broken bone, made all the worse for the summoning lightning still crackling over his body. It was annoying enough when he was at full health, but this just hurt like a bitch.

"I said, quick thinking, Seifer."

"Oh. Thanks."

Xu pursed her lips. "Maybe he should get hit more often," she told Quistis as they moved into the gunboat proper. "He actually said thanks."

Quistis just nodded, preoccupied. Seifer looked completely out of it and she remembered how he'd flown when the exploding wreckage had hit him in the stomach. "Put him on the central table," she told the candidates. "I'm not sure he isn't injured worse than he looks."

"He is," said Squall, making her glance at him. "I think his right shoulder's broken. And he got cut in the leg earlier."

"Oh yeah," Seifer remembered. "In the square. I—AUGH!"

"Sorry man," said Zell as he picked Seifer up under the arms and put him down on the central table. "Hey, did you know your eyes are different sizes?"

"Shut up. Chicken-wuss."

"You shut up. Dumb...slow...ass." Zell threw his hands up in the air. Insults were not his forte.

"Thanks for summoning the GF," said Selphie, hovering over Seifer. Her image seemed to blur in and out of focus, which Seifer distantly recognized was bad. "How do you feel?"

"Shitty."

"Move so we can take a look at him," said Quistis, shouldering Selphie out of the way. With Xu's help Quistis set Seifer's broken shoulder and sank a Cura into his bone to help it heal faster. Some of the focus came back into his eyes, which went to her immediately. Quistis pretended not to notice when he reached up and touched her face, though she was peripherally aware that the others in the boat were looking at them strangely.

"How do you feel?" She asked him, all professional business.

"Better," he said softly, still looking at her.

"But not all the way well?" Xu asked, frowning.

"I'm tired."

Xu pursed her lips. Then before Quistis could say anything, she yanked open Seifer's jacket and sliced his undershirt open with one of her many knives. At once a gasp of horror rolled over the gunboat as everyone saw the huge and ugly bruising over his chest and stomach. It was dark purple; regular bruising, no matter how bad, would be at least yellow or green after a Cura.

"Internal bleeding," said Xu, shaking her head at the mottled purple web. "No wonder he's not up and assholing around."

"Is he gonna die?" Zell blurted out, eyes wide.

"I don't know." Xu cast a Scan, her eyes rapidly assessing the information. "Get me the surgical kit, I need to let some of the bad blood out so he can heal properly."

Quistis nodded and got to her feet, but Seifer tugged at the edge of her skirt. When she looked down at him, he had tilted his head up at an angle to keep looking at her. Quistis stopped breathing at the look of simple need on his face.

__"Don't leave."__

"Uh... Okay," said Xu, her eyes on Seifer's hand. "Squall, get the kit. It's in the pilot's compartment on the wall. Red box with a scalpel on it."

"Okay."

" 'm sorry I was an ass in your class," said Seifer. Quistis knelt down by his head, ostensibly disentangling his hand from her skirt; if she twined her fingers with his, it was subtle enough that no one else noticed. "I never didn't respect you. I just liked making you mad."

Quistis's throat tightened up. This sounded suspicious on a level she feared to name. She tried to sound soothing as she said, "You're not going to be in my class after this, Seifer. I'm giving you the highest recommendation."

"Me too," said Zell unexpectedly. "I mean, I thought you were a jackass but—ow!"

"Shush!" Selphie hissed. "Let them have their moment!"

"What moment?"

Selphie made a noise and hauled Zell to the galley. Xu kept one eye on Seifer's vitals and the other on them.

"Does it hurt?" Quistis asked him softly.

"Only when I think about it." His voice was soft too, but not on purpose. Quistis saw Seifer's eyes start to flutter closed and she squeezed his hand, making him open them and focus on her.

Squall came back with the surgical kit. Xu rolled her sleeves up and opened the kit, briskly putting on a pair of gloves and taking out a hollow metal straw with a sharpened metal tip that gleaming ominously. She fitted a plastic bag to the end of the needle.

"Squall, hold the bag," she said, kneeling by Seifer's stomach. Squall eeled around her to sit on her other side and peripherally Quistis was aware of Zell and Selphie peeking in.

When Xu started probing Seifer's bruised stomach, he made a choking noise and half-lifted off the table in pain; Quistis squeezed his hand hard, not knowing what else to do. He looked at her, eyes wide and sweat beading his forehead.

"This is going to suck," said Xu, pulling out disinfectant pads and briskly swabbing several points along Seifer's sides. "We'll have to cast healing magic on him as soon as I say so. _Strong_ stuff. Regen if you have it."

"I only have Cura."

"Then we'll make do. On the count of—oh, and Squall? Don't drop the bag. One, two, three..."

Seifer cried out as Xu plunged the needle into his side. Zell gagged as dark blood fountained through the metal straw and into the bag, which Squall very nearly dropped in shock.

"Eeew," said Selphie in horrified fascination.

Seifer gasped, at once finding that he could actually breathe. The fierce pain in his side had turned into a dull ache and he lifted his head a little to see the blood draining into the bag. Squall looked like he wanted to pass out.

"Hey," Seifer said to the boy.

"What?" Squall glanced up at him.

"There's a spider on your arm."

Squall jerked violently and Xu elbowed him hard when he nearly dropped the bag, but it was worth it; Seifer laughed and then winced as Xu pulled the needle out and slapped a bandage on him neat as could be. She cast Scan again and nodded, apparently satisfied.

"One more stick on the other side and then it's healing time," she said. "Quistis, two fingers down from the end of his fourth rib."

Quistis nodded. It had been years, but she had done this sort of procedure in the field. She untangled her hand from Seifer's and held her hand out as Xu handed her a fresh needle and bag. As Xu tied off the bag, Quistis palpated Seifer's side and ignored his wincing. She could feel a clot of pooling blood under her fingertips.

"Gloves," said Xu, passing her a pair. "And swab. Squall, go to the other side."

"...okay."

"No, it's alright," said Quistis, noticing how Squall looked vaguely green. She gestured down the hall instead. "Selphie, come here."

"Okay!" Selphie all but skipped over, dropping to her knees. "It's alright, I don't mind blood. My parents are doctors!"

"Lucky for us," said Quistis with a little smile. With Selphie ready, Quistis lanced the clot and had to stop from jumping herself as heat and life suddenly surged through the needle, warming it up to a frightening degree. Selphie did not jump like Squall had, but there was a peculiar amount of fascination in her eyes as she watched the blood pool into the yellow-tinted plastic.

"This is actually one of the least gross things I've ever seen," said Selphie when she realized Quistis was looking sidelong at her. "One time, this guy came in with __three__ pencils shoved up his—"

Zell gagged again and Seifer started laughing again, which made the needle jump alarmingly and blood spray down into the bag. Quistis smacked him lightly on the arm, her eyes on the insertion point.

"And done," said Xu. Smoothly Quistis withdrew the needle but didn't manage to get a bandage on fast enough; blood spilled down the conference table and down onto the floor, making her gulp. As soon as she taped the bandage on, she and Xu cast Cura until Seifer's bruises vanished like burning tissue paper. At once he sat up, taking deep, painless breaths.

"Damn," he said, looking down at himself. "I look good."

Quistis couldn't help but laugh, though Xu just rolled her eyes.

"Get some rest, kiddos," she said. "Oh, and Quistis? Seifer? You two have to take a shower. You smell like the sea and that is not a good smell in tight confines."

"You first," said Quistis to Seifer. "Don't use up all the hot water."

"We could share," he deadpanned.

"NOPE," said Xu so loudly that anyone would have thought he was talking to her. "None of that! Shower time, now!"

"Killjoy," Seifer threw at Xu, rolling off the conference table. As he left, Quistis was surprised to see Selphie lean out and then whistle.

"They don't make 'em like that back home," said Selphie as she efficiently tied off the bag of blood and handed Xu the used needle.

"You don't have assholes back home?" Xu asked sourly.

"He's not an asshole. He's just funny."

"What?" Xu exclaimed.

"Hey, it's not everyone who can joke about their own death," said Selphie, getting to her feet. As she picked up the used iodine swab and wiped blood off her boot heels, she said, "And he's not exactly a bad squad leader either."

"That's true," said Zell, grumbling as he sat down. "He didn't suck as much as I thought he would. Even though he _did_ break orders to run around."

"He did what?" Xu demanded, looking at Zell.

A flash of guilt went over Zell's face, replaced by a sort of pugnaciousness that Quistis hadn't seen in him before.

"We encountered soldiers in the town square," said Squall, who had taken a seat while Quistis had been draining the blood. "A lot of them. Some of them escaped toward the mountains and Seifer decided that we needed to go after them."

"Why?" Quistis asked as Xu made a noise of disgust.

Squall shrugged a little. "They were specialists carrying tools. We followed them up to the communication tower on top of Dollet. We think they were making repairs on the dish."

"Repairs?" Quistis looked at Xu, who shrugged. "Why?"

"Not our business," said the older woman, getting to her feet.

"There's something else too," said Squall unexpectedly. When Xu looked at him, he said, "Seifer didn't want to go... But he followed the order to retreat. And he brought up the rear. He never left us behind. That has to count for something."

The ringing endorsement from __Squall Leonhart__of all people made the air go still. Xu studied him carefully before sighing and shaking her head.

"You're all going to be debriefed as soon as you get back," said Xu. "So save it for the inquisitors."

/\/\/\/\/\

a/n: I've never actually treated hideous internal bleeding, so if anything is off medically in this chapter, just gloss it over with the healing power of magic, okay? Okay.

I had so much fun writing Selphie in this chapter. Her undisguised delight in things going boom has always made me laugh, but then I got to thinking that she enjoys certain other kinds of mayhem too.

/\/\/\/\/\


	19. Chapter 19

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

17 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

There was one very small shower in the gunboat, just big enough for one person. Unfortunately there was no soap. Seifer settled for a rinse and soaking his clothes in the sink to get the salt-stink out of them, and for a while he felt like his uniform; beat-up, worn out, too tight in stupid places. On the conference table he remembered reaching out for Quistis and touching her in front of everyone, to the point where that little runner girl Selphie had made a comment about a 'moment'...

...no. Fuck it. If things had been different, if he wasn't standing in the shower now, he wouldn't have changed a thing. So no regrets.

Still, it had been a close thing. Definitely the closest he'd ever been dying himself. Internal bleeding, fuck that shit. He hadn't even known something was wrong, he'd just felt so out of breath and so distracted by the break in his shoulder. Damn.

After a quick rinse under blazingly hot water, Seifer wrung out his clothes and snapped them dry as best as he could, but there was no way he was going to put something wet on again. Fortunately the gunboat had four large towels, so Seifer took one and tucked it around his waist. Maybe there was a spare uniform somewhere around. He smirked a bit at the idea of strutting around in just a towel and scandalizing Xu, but the blush that Quistis would have would give everything away. In fact, just thinking about her reaction made Seifer mutter and then hop back into the shower for a quick unforgiving blast of pure cold.

"Where are your clothes?" Xu of course demanded when he eased out of the closet-sized bathroom.

"Soaking," he said. "Is there anything else to wear or should I start charging for looks?"

"Don't flatter yourself," said Xu, rolling her eyes. "And no, there's no spare clothing. Just hang your stuff up to dry. Oh, and Seifer?"

"What?"

"...Good job today."

So he hadn't hallucinated that. Seifer rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Thanks," he said. "I...tried."

"I know," said Xu, folding her arms. "And when you try, Seifer, you're very good. I wish you'd do it more often instead of haring off. You're talented and it pisses me off when I see you wasting it. _So don't do it anymore, okay?"_

"Okay," said Seifer, stunned that he was having a civil conversation with Xu.

"And one more thing," said Xu, her dark eyes sparking. "Quistis."

Oh shit. "What about her?"

"Exactly how long have you been crushing on her?"

...oh. That's what she thought. Phew. "About a month," he said, seeing no point in lying.

"Okay," said Xu slowly. "Does she know?"

"Uhhh..."

"You know that's not appropriate, right?"

"Yeah, I know," he muttered, tired of the conversation already. "Can I go hang up my clothes, or...?"

"Fine," said Xu, stepping aside. Seifer made a show of wringing his clothes out in the sink and taking them out with him The bunks in the gunboat had curtains and rails, so Seifer climbed onto the topmost bunk and hung his damp clothes over the side. Two hours would hopefully be enough time to get everything dried out. He felt a little bad but in the best way as he pulled the towel off and lay in the bunk, naked and gloriously alive. Things could have been bad today, but they weren't. Everyone was alive, he personally felt better about this test than he'd ever felt about any others, and he'd gotten to kiss Quistis in front of everyone.

He could have done without the near death experience, but nothing was perfect.

He heard boot heels on the floor below and lifted his head just enough to see Quistis going into the shower. Whistling softly, he grinned as she turned and looked at up at him. He could see her blush.

"Nice shooting," he told her.

"Nice summoning," she told him, her eyes lingering on his body. Seifer grinned broadly. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Can't die before I'm a SeeD," he said, watching as her blush deepened.

"Yes, well... We have the debriefing and the inquisitors first."

"Any tips on passing those?"

She looked at him strangely. "Just be honest. What were you doing before?"

"Being honest," he said, though that wasn't technically true... Seifer knew no one else would stand up for him, so in past tests he had maybe talked himself up a bit too much. Obviously that hadn't worked. Maybe channeling Squall's dead fish face or Quistis's professional demeanor would work better.

"Mm-hmm," she said skeptically. Seifer's eyes gleamed as she took her hair out of her clip and finger-combed it loose, reminding him of the time in the truck when he'd first gotten her off and she'd leaned out of the window to bask in pleasure. When she pulled off her tie, Seifer sighed softly as he remembered how she'd blown his mind in her own classroom. When Quistis unbuttoned her jacket, her neat white shirt was pressed wet and slick to her body, revealing something white and possibly lacy that he really wanted to see.

Quistis, the little minx, made sure she had his focus and then stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. Seifer swore softly and fell back on the bunk, restless and aching.

In the shower stall, Quistis stripped off her clothes and rinsed the salt off them and her at the same time. Though the water was nice and hot, she felt like her blood was warmer still; it was evident from Seifer's clothes drying around the bunk that he was naked up there and since they had a whole two hours...

"_No. Calm yourself, Quistis. You aren't in the clear yet."_

That wasn't just it. She'd looked at Xu's scan and interpreted the backwards lettering, and what she'd seen had chilled her to the core. Seifer probably had no idea how close he'd come to dying, but without magic he definitely would have bled out from a near pulverized liver and a punctured spleen. Her heart hammered with how close they had come. Vividly Quistis recalled his lonely figure on the beach, summoning against an impossible monster of a robot...

...knowing that he was being left behind and choosing to take a stand anyway...

Hyne, she had been so afraid that she would shoot him by accident, because no matter what anyone said, friendly fire wasn't, and a chain gun could turn a man into red ruin in under a second. She shivered for the death that he might have had, but Seifer hadn't cared. That was just how he was, he lived for the moment and for the future, never paralyzed by doubt or what might have been. That was why he'd thrown caution to the winds and kissed her in front of everyone. She envied that sort of abandon, which she only seemed to have when nobody was looking.

Hmm.

Quistis shut off the water, wrung out her clothes, and towel-dried. When she exited the bathroom and looked around, she saw that Selphie and Zell had folded down the seats in the main compartment to take a nap too and that Squall was sitting and reading something, slowly eating a granola bar. Xu was up with the pilots. A flood of anticipation stole her breath as Quistis seriously toyed with the possibility of climbing up to where Seifer was, and the fact that it was a terrible idea only made it more appealing. The curtains drawn around the top bunk would provide some cover and were a dark enough color that they nearly blended in with the gunboat's metal walls and ceiling. If they were very, very quiet, they could get away with a lot of things...

Oh, it sounded like so much fun. But it was not appealing enough to actually go through with.

Quistis arranged her damp clothing around the rails on the bottom bunk and was about to slide in for a nap when she heard a knock on the wall. It was Xu, looking around the corner at the far end of the gunboat.

"Hey," said Xu quietly. "Can we talk?"

"Of course. What about?"

"Something's been on my mind and... Well, I could use your input."

Xu, asking her for advice? Quistis pushed her wet clothes off to the side and patted the bunk. Xu sat next to her and laced her hands together. For a while the older woman said nothing.

"Okay, back when I was a student, I had a thing with a professor," she said unexpectedly, making Quistis's stomach freeze. Behind the curtains on the top bunk, Seifer went still and breathless.

"Surely you mean 'for'," said Quistis, but Xu cut her off with a shake of the head.

"No. With. It was illegal as hell. He ended up getting fired. Everyone assumed he took advantage of me and that's true since he was older, but... At the time, I really thought I was in love. And it almost ruined me, Quistis."

"...Why are you telling me this?" Quistis asked softly.

"Because..." Xu sighed. "I saw the way you were looking at Seifer. And the way he was looking back at you. He has a crush on you, you know. And I think you might have a bit of one on him too."

"_It's a little bit more than that," _thought Quistis and Seifer at the same time. Neither of them said it aloud, of course.

"Look, as annoying as he is, I'm not gonna deny that he's good looking. And adrenaline does funny things to people." Xu poked her in the arm. "Don't do anything foolish, okay?"

"What do you mean?" Quistis asked, trying not to squirm.

"I mean..." Xu pursed her lips. "Look, a lot of times people mistake lust for love. I know I did. So just know what you're getting into, okay?"

"I think I can tell the difference, thank you," said Quistis, though she guiltily remembered she'd been wondering about the same thing earlier. She still wasn't sure what the answer was and she winced when Xu looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Oh?" Xu took the clip from Quistis's hands and pulled a travel brush from her pocket. As she started to brush the younger girl's hair, she asked, "Then what is it? Lust or love?"

"With who? Seifer?"

"No, dummy, with Headmaster Cid. _Of course I'm talking about Seifer!"_

Quistis opened her mouth and had no idea what to say. Xu looked at her and knew it.

"Hey," Seifer said loudly, making the women jump. He was afraid of what Quistis would or wouldn't say. And if she said the answer that made his heart leap and explode, he didn't want to hear it like this. An interruption was definitely in order. "I'm up here."

"Shit," Xu muttered, turning red. Raising her voice, she said, "Cover your ears."

"Make me," he snapped back.

Xu muttered some curses in her native language before getting to her feet. "Remember what I said," she told Quistis. "You too," she told Seifer. "Especially if you _don't_ pass, Seifer."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Xu left the room muttering and Quistis sat quietly on the bottom bunk, her chest roiling with Xu's last question. Seifer stared up at the ceiling, wondering the same thing. Both of them were afraid to break the silence.

/\/\/\

a/n: Intense emotional dramaaaa.

/\/\/\/\/\


	20. Chapter 20

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

18 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

His clothes were still damp, but he couldn't exactly go out naked. Seifer redressed and then climbed down from the bunk as the gunboat started to slow down. When he came to the floor, Quistis was also redressing. She glanced at him and then turned away, shoulders hunching up toward her ears. What did that mean? Was she embarrassed by everything that had happened? Or just being spotted? Seifer rubbed the back of his neck and had to look away too. Fucking Xu and her fucking lectures... Except there was no one to blame except themselves.

"_Who the fuck cares if it's love or lust?" _He tried to convince himself. _"We're just having a good time, one day at a time. That's all it needs to be right now."_

"_What if that's all he wants out of me?" _Quistis thought as she reknotted her tie. The longer she thought about it, the more her chest hurt. _"It's not like we have common interests or common friends. Even once he becomes a SeeD and we don't have to hide, how long until he realizes that we're still strangers? And I... Do I want him around? I think I do. Is that love?"_

Stupid Xu. Stupid reality.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and without looking, she knew who it was. Seifer stepped close and kissed her behind the ear again, feeling her shiver. He didn't know what to say, he had no idea what she was thinking. But he remembered this doubt and awkwardness from the Training Center and the elevator and he didn't want that again. When Quistis put her hands on his, he sighed in relief.

"I'll pass," he breathed.

"You'll pass," she whispered back.

They exited the gunboat, Quistis remembering to put the CD back in her jacket. She'd listen to it tonight.

It was night when they stepped onto the dock. A car was waiting for them and Seifer covered his mouth as he yawned; he was looking forward to going back and resting. He instead jumped as a pair of hands clapped over his eyes.

"Guess who!" Sang a patently recognizable falsetto.

"Gaaay," he responded as Raijin laughed and clapped him on the back. Fujin came around his other side and they peeled him away from the group.

"CELEBRATE," said Fujin firmly.

"Uhh..." Seifer glanced back at Xu and Quistis. Xu waved her hand at him.

"Just be back by morning," she said. "And you're responsible for your own accommodations."

"Oh, we can do that?" Zell exclaimed, making everyone look at him. "In that case... Can I stay at my house? I wanna see my mom."

"Sure," said Xu. "Walk back with Seifer and the DC tomorrow. Be in the Garden by 8:40 at the latest. Debriefing starts at 9am."

Zell nodded and ran off, strutting like a chicken. Seifer found himself being hauled to the hotel by a boisterous Raijin and smiling Fujin, the former peppering him with questions about the test. To Seifer's surprise, Fujin shut him up with "WAIT."

"Wait?" Raijin repeated blankly, but then brightened. "Oh yeah! Hey Seifer, we met a friend of yours!"

"You did?" Seifer asked, confused.

"Yeah! Rinoa! Did you know she was in Balamb?"

Fuck. _Fuck. _Seifer felt his blood go cold.

"I knew, yes," he said, trying not to sound awkward. "She came in earlier today."

"Right," said Raijin. "And she has a _gold_ card, man. We are eating good tonight! She ordered up everything, we're going to her room to party."

Seifer couldn't help but glance over his shoulder. He saw Quistis _not_ looking at him as she climbed into the car with Squall and Selphie and Xu. Shit.

"And I think she has a few bottles of..." Raijin made a drinking motion with one hand, which made Fujin smack him on the arm. "What? He came back alive! What's not to celebrate?"

Fujin and Seifer exchanged glances and simultaneously shook their heads.

Rinoa was waiting for them in the hotel lobby when they came and her happy shriek at seeing Seifer made him squirm inside even as he returned her enthusiastic hug. This was not good, but he couldn't figure out how to escape without telling everyone the truth and it just wasn't safe yet.

"_On the other hand... They're my friends," _he thought as they went up to Rinoa's room, Raijin and Rinoa chattering like old pals. _"If I can't tell them, who _can_ I tell?"_

"WOW," Fujin said as they went up to Rinoa's room. It was the penthouse suite, naturally; Rinoa despised her station, but she wasn't above abusing her daddy's credit card when the right mood hit. She had ordered a lot of food from one of Balamb's nicer restaurants and Seifer's stomach growled when he saw the pasta, the soup, the expertly poached and dressed Balamb fish. Everything was in takeout containers, but hey, nothing was perfect. And there were two bottles of what looked like wine on the table, which made Seifer wonder how Rinoa had gotten alcohol until he looked at the labels and realized they were sparkling grape juice.

"So how was the field test?" Rinoa asked as they tucked in.

"Enh," said Seifer. When Fujin looked at him significantly, he laughed and said, "It was a field test. We lived. I actually got saddled with semi-useful squadmates this time, so that was nice. Being a leader ain't easy."

"What'd you have to do?"

"Secure an area and hold it."

"Sounds boring," said Raijin.

"Yeah... Well, the spider tank that showed up livened things up a bit."

"The what now?!"

So Seifer spent an hour talking about the field test, enjoying Rinoa and Raijin's reactions as they gasped in all the right places. Fujin kept putting food on his plate and smacking Raijin when he tried to take more than his share, so when Seifer finally got a break he had plenty to eat.

"How'd you three meet?" He asked as he tucked gratefully into the pasta. It was seafood pasta, but everything was so fresh that nothing tasted or smelled fishy in the least.

"Oh, I was hanging out by the docks to see if you'd be coming in," said Rinoa, smiling prettily. "And then I saw these two doing the same thing, and as soon as I heard them talk, I knew who they had to be."

"I like her," said Raijin, pointing at Rinoa with a plastic fork. "She's fun. No wonder you fell in love."

As Seifer choked on his noodles a bit, Rinoa laughed and smiled. "Come on, don't make him snort his pasta."

"It was true, though," said Raijin as Fujin nodded. "He came back from Galbadia and moped. I've never seen him like that before."

"Did not mope," Seifer said through a mouthful of noodles, turning red.

"MOPED," said Fujin, nodding.

"I can't imagine you moping," said Rinoa to Seifer, her eyes dancing.

"Seifer doesn't mope like normal people do," said Raijin. "He turns into a huge asshole."

Seifer sputtered. "Hey!"

"Picking fights, throwing insults, just getting into trouble—"

"Hey!"

"DETENTION," said Fujin, nodding. "INFIRMARY. RINSE AND REPEAT."

"Freaking traitors," said Seifer as the three of them burst out laughing. "Fine. I was 'mopey'."

"Should we get out?" Raijin asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"I don't think his girlfriend would like that," said Rinoa, popping open a bottle of sparkling juice. Seifer swore as Fujin and Raijin snapped around to look at him.

"GIRLFRIEND?" Fujin said, her brow raising.

"Yeah, _girlfriend?"_ Raijin repeated.

"...oops," said Rinoa. Except when Seifer glared at her, he could tell she wasn't sorry at all. Nobody grinned like that when they were sorry.

"She's not my girlfriend," said Seifer, cringing at how much of a twelve-year-old he sounded like. "It's complicated."

"WHO?" Fujin demanded.

"Nope."

"Come onnnnn, you owe us!" Raijin poked him in the side. "We know you've been weird for like two weeks at least. Who is she?"

"Not telling."

"Why not?"

"I told you, it's complicated."

"Well, why is it complicated?" Rinoa asked, pouring out juice for everyone. As Seifer took his glass and drank, he nearly spat the liquid out.

"This is not grape juice," he said to Rinoa.

"It definitely is not," said Rinoa, her eyes flashing with merriment. "But labels are real easy to switch if you know how."

"CHAMPAGNE," said Fujin happily, taking her own glass.

"So why is it complicated?" Rinoa repeated, picking up her glass. Now prepared for what it was, Seifer drained his champagne in one gulp before putting it down.

"She could lose her job," he said frankly.

"Oh..." Fujin and Raijin looked awkward. Rinoa looked at the two of them and then at Seifer, who refilled his rocks glass with champagne.

"Hmm..." Rinoa drummed her fingertips on the table as she studied Fujin and Raijin. "So... Looks like you two have an idea, which means you all know her. Which means she's working at the Garden. Let me guess. She's... A teacher."

Seifer nearly jumped out of his skin. "Why would you say that?" He asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Because I can't think of any other reason why someone would lose her job for dating you," she said, resting her chin on her laced hands. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"I'm not saying shit."

"So I am right," said Rinoa, making Seifer grumble. "Let's see... Well, I know you're not into cougars. So it has to be someone around our age. If I check the Garden's roster..."

Seifer abruptly stood up, making everyone blink at him. "I do not want to talk about this," he said, pointing at them all. "Not now. Not for a long time."

"SIT," said Fujin, grabbing his belt and yanking him back into his seat.

"We ain't gonna tell on you," said Raijin, looking slightly injured. "It hurts, you know? I thought we were friends."

Seifer rubbed his face in both hands. "We _are_ friends, but... It's not that simple."

"Because she draws porn too," Rinoa murmured.

Seifer hit the table. "Damn it, Rinoa!"

Raijin suddenly started yelling, waving his hands like mad. "No!" He shouted, jumping to his feet. He was pale under his tan. "No! No! No! Are you kidding me? _Are you kidding me?"_

Fujin looked at him in bewilderment, but Seifer just put his head in his hands and groaned. Rinoa sipped her champagne.

"Aaaaaugh!" Raijin all but ran out onto the balcony. Fujin patted Seifer on the shoulder and went out after him, probably to make sure he didn't fall off in his brain-breakage fit. Seifer lifted his head and looked at Rinoa from across the table.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"I didn't know they didn't know," she said, gesturing at them with her glass. "Sorry."

"Are you really?"

"Yes, I am," she said, looking at him pointedly. "I want you to be okay when I'm gone. If she's part of that, okay."

From the balcony, Fujin screamed. Apparently the cat was out of the bag. Seifer grabbed the bottle and drank from it directly.

"Good thing I bought a bunch," said Rinoa, watching him drain the bottle. "I just hope you hold your liquor better than last time."

"I could say the same for you."

Rinoa just giggled. Despite everything Seifer found himself smiling begrudgingly at her.

"If I ever get the opportunity, I am embarrassing you just as bad," he said.

"Bring it on," she said cockily. Seifer chuckled.

When Fujin and Raijin slunk back into the room, Rinoa and Seifer were talking about movies and the tension in the room eased. They stayed up late and found an old movie on the TV that was so cheesy that they ended up turning off the sound and making up their own dialogue, which turned a stilted love story into a sordid tale of smuggling crack rocks in various undergarments across international borders. The king bed was big enough for everyone to lie on, though Seifer had to smack Raijin a few times to get his feet out of his face; in the end Seifer stuck a pillow on top of Raijin's legs and used them as an armrest so Raijin would quit kicking his legs.

When that movie ended, they watched another and at some point, Raijin rolled off the bed and started snoring so loudly that Seifer and Fujin dragged him to the sitting room section of the penthouse suite and threw him on a couch; once he wasn't facedown, the snoring stopped. They had all continued drinking and went through four bottles, which they were trying to slog through out of determination more than anything else. The end result was Raijin's unconsciousness, with Fujin's following closely behind; she curled up on the corner of the king-sized bed like a cat while Seifer and Rinoa kept watching TV.

It seemed very natural in more ways than one to sit on the bed with Rinoa curled against his side, his blood throbbing with a combination of alcohol, exhaustion, and a bit of banked lust that Seifer was too tired to pay attention to. At some point in time he knew he had to get off the bed and go sleep on the other couch since the girls had claimed the mattress, but Rinoa had fallen asleep and he didn't feel like moving. Seifer looked down at her and started idly stroking her hair. He liked Quistis, he knew that... But he couldn't imagine her being here right now. He couldn't imagine her laughing and joking with Fujin and Raijin, teasing him on a purely friendly level. Everything that he and Quistis had was lust, he realized.

And what would happen if that petered out? Did Quistis Trepe have it in her to actually date?

"_Do I?" _thought Seifer, still stroking Rinoa's hair. He missed Rinoa. And Rinoa was right here. She had traveled so far just on his word, which sent another flutter of heat through his veins. Damn. Seifer kissed her chastely on the head. Definitely, definitely in another world...

Rinoa stirred and lifted her head. "Seifer?"

"Yeah?"

"What time's it?"

"About one."

She murmured and put her head back on his chest. For a while he thought she'd gone back to sleep, but then she said, "Do you remember that time on the train?"

He remembered and sighed. "That was the second week, right?"

"Mmhmm. I remember resting on you just like this... We had the whole compartment to ourselves."

"Yeah."

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Are you serious about her?"

Seifer stroked Rinoa's hair. "I don't know," he admitted. "Right now it's fun and forbidden and I... I don't know. It's early."

Rinoa made a noise of acknowledgement. Seifer closed his eyes. He was prepared to go to sleep but then became aware of Rinoa sitting up and sliding closer. He was not particularly surprised when she kissed him again, half-straddling his leg as she tugged on his jacket. She smelled so nice.

"What gives?" He asked her softly.

"I could ask you the same thing," she whispered back. "Shouldn't you be stopping me?"

"I guess." Seifer wrapped his arms around her waist. "Is this bad?"

"Probably." She kissed him again and he tasted the alcohol on her tongue. "Definitely."

They made out for a while, slowly and quietly so as not to wake up Fujin. The alcohol seemed to dull the edges of the moral panic Seifer knew he should be feeling, but it was hard to think of anything with Rinoa molding herself to him, guiding his hands to her breasts and biting her lip as he squeezed gently. A dull thudding in his veins made him shift and grind his hips up against hers, making Rinoa gasp softly.

"This is real bad," he told her.

"Then stop."

"Then get off me."

"No," she said, making his blood thrill. "I have my own reasons."

"Fuck," he groaned, grinding against her again.

"Really?"

"Shut up."

Rinoa kissed him deep and sweet, making his hesitation fizzle around the edges. Seifer knew he wanted this. And she was definitely ready for it.

And yet...

"Nope," he said, breaking off abruptly. Rolling over, he slung Rinoa onto her back and hopped off the bed, heading for the sitting room. He raked his hand through his hair, not looking over his shoulder. He knew for sure that he didn't know what was going on with Quistis yet, it was _probably_ just lust, but damn it, he was not going to fuck it up before they had it figured out. Quistis didn't deserve that. And he needed to do better no matter what happened.

Seifer threw himself onto the free couch and lay on his stomach, covering his head with a cushion as Raijin started to snore. Great. Somewhere behind him he heard Rinoa tugging at the sheets and then Fujin muttering sleepily. Seifer took deep breaths and counted to 50, willing the resentful throbbing in his blood to calm down. Somehow he managed to fall asleep.

/\/\/\

a/n: My soft spot for Seifer/Rinoa meets my weak spot for drunken, ill-advised romantic shenanigans. Thinking about writing a prequel story about these two once I'm done with the main storyline.

/\/\/\/\/\


	21. Chapter 21

**New Seed**

/\/\/\/\/\

19 February 2015

This is a FFVIII fic by klepto_maniac0. I own no concepts and no characters except the ones you've never heard of, which means they're ones I've made. I freely admit I will take liberties with the FFVIII canon because this is an alternate universe fic. That's why some details are different, some events are ignored, and some people don't exist or act in a different capacity. Ain't fanfic fun?

/\/\/\/\/\

"_Rinoa is a girl's name..."_

"_We're going up to her room to party!"_

"_It's...personal."_

"Hey, Qu."

"What?"

"Pull over. I'm driving."

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to make it to the Garden in one piece and you look like you're going to murder someone. Keys. Now."

Quistis grumbled, but it was true that she wasn't exactly concentrating on the road; she'd nearly hit a swarm of Bite Bugs in the first few miles and in the back Squall and Selphie were very quiet, probably sensing she was in a bad mood. So Quistis pulled the wheel over and got out, slamming the door and then getting annoyed that she was so visibly, publicly irritated. As she crossed around the front of the car to swap seats with Xu, Xu caught her by the arm.

"Control yourself," said Xu firmly, looking into her eyes. "It's just a crush."

It wasn't just a crush, but she couldn't say that. "I don't know what's going on with me," said Quistis instead. "I... I've never felt like this before."

"Exactly. So calm down." Xu paused. "And you know... Maybe it's not a bad thing if it doesn't work out."

Her words felt like a knife in the heart. "Xu!"

"Get in," said Xu, climbing into the car. When they were inside, Xu turned on the radio and changed the speakers so they pumped exclusively into the back of the vehicle. Pitching her voice so only Quistis could hear, she said, "You know, your first boyfriend should be one who isn't a jackass."

"He's not a jackass," said Quistis, completely missing how Xu had already decided that she and Seifer were an item. For her part, Xu's brows only rose.

"You're the one who started calling him a jackass when he came back from Galbadia."

Quistis floundered. "Well... That's not the same!"

"People don't change overnight, no matter how shiny they get," said Xu as she started driving. "Look, I'll be happy for _you_ because this is a new development and it's exciting. But let me tell you, the instant I think he isn't treating you well, I'm kicking his ass all over the Garden and I don't care who sees me. And I'm not talking about if he hits you or what, I'm talking about if he talks down to you, if he makes you feel bad about yourself, if he tells you that you're lucky you have him, or that he'll break up with you if you don't do what he says. That's not a good relationship."

Every point that Xu brought up hit Quistis like a stone in the heart. Guiltily she remembered doing some variant of _all_ of those things to Seifer, usually accidentally. Xu was so worried about Seifer not being a good boyfriend that it never occurred to her that perhaps Quistis would be a bad girlfriend.

Xu kept on going, saying, "And don't buy his bullshit if he tries to dog around on you either."

"Dog?"

"Cheating," said Xu succinctly, making Quistis think about the mysterious and unwelcome Rinoa. "Sometimes guys will come up with these perfectly reasonable excuses, like 'she's just a friend from out of town' or 'it wasn't anything serious', but I'm telling you now that if he isn't committed 100%, there's no reason for you to be there. You can't keep waiting around for him to get his head out of his ass and change his mind."

"But what if he is just confused?" Quistis asked, curious more than doubtful.

"There's a difference between confused and using confusion as an excuse to behave badly," said Xu. "And the difference is how sorry he is. If he's actually sorry? Me, personally, I'd let him slide. But just once and depending on what he did, I wouldn't look at him the same. But if he's _not_ sorry, he's gonna make excuses and try to talk you into believing that it's not such a big deal, and if you buy it, he's gonna do it again and again. Don't put yourself through that, Qu." Xu pursed her lips. "Actually, any time you find yourself making excuses for him, take a step back and ask yourself, 'if I were seeing this in a friend, would I be suspicious?' And if you would be, that's it. Don't treat yourself worse than you'd treat your friends."

Quistis folded her arms and looked out of the window. She had read enough magazines and dating advice columns, both out of boredom and for research for her submissions (shit, the next one was due in two days) that she knew how women were supposed to conduct themselves in relationships. But it was different hearing things from Xu, who dated frequently and—

"_No," _thought Quistis suddenly. _"Xu doesn't date. She hooks up. She has one-night stands. She...may not be the best source for relationship advice."_

Quistis glanced sidelong at her friend, who at times functioned like a mother and a big sister all rolled into one. Obviously Xu wanted Quistis to be happy, but it occurred to Quistis that Xu did not have all the answers and maybe didn't need to be listened to...

...especially when it came to Seifer. Her bias was well known.

It was around 10pm by the time they got back to the Garden and Selphie and Squall were dozing lightly in the back. As they climbed out, Xu reminded them of their debriefing tomorrow at 9am. Quistis grimaced. As one of the administering SeeDs, she would need to be debriefed too, but hers would be even earlier at 8am. No time to do anything but sleep tonight, apparently.

As she picked up a late-night snack from the Cafeteria and went up to her room, Quistis pulled the CD out of her pocket and studied it. The note was still inside. Since Seifer was nowhere around, she pulled the paper out of the case and opened it. There was a strange shakiness in the script that wasn't in any of samples of his writing she had ever seen. As Quistis read the words, it was like she could hear Seifer's voice in her ear.

_Quistis,_

_If I don't make it, I want you to know that you made me want to be better. You deserve the best._

_Seifer_

Quistis pressed the note to her lips, not to kiss it but to push against the sob-like noise that was struggling in her throat. She couldn't help but wonder how he could write this and yet be in Balamb with Fujin and Raijin and a girl who she was pretty sure was an ex-girlfriend...

"_Is that _better_ for Seifer?"_ She thought sourly and then wondered seriously, _"Is it?"_

Surely he'd be better off with someone smaller...cuter...more demure... He was obviously used to handling women like they were delicate, considering the way he was so gentle with her, constantly checking to make sure she was alright. It didn't seem like Seifer took romance lightly. Was that better or worse, then, knowing that he was spending the night with a girl he'd used to know? Because if she'd come all the way from Galbadia to this tiny island, then they hadn't had a mere fling. It was...probably...

"_Love," _thought Quistis and felt a hideous squeeze in her chest. Ugh. She hit herself lightly in the breastbone as she exited the elevator and went to her room, trying not to feel so stupidly upset. All the logic in the world was like a sandbag against a tide of emotion that made her feel sick. What was happening to her?

"_He can't stop thinking about me. He said so himself. I'm going to believe that."_

So Quistis put her music player in the bathroom, drew a bath, and when the tub was full, put in the CD that Seifer gave her. She hesitated only a second before hitting play, not sure what to expect. This wasn't actually the first mix CD she'd ever gotten, though this was the only one that she'd actually been happy to receive. Her fanclub could be...weird.

The first twangy notes of a jaunty guitar utterly bewildered her and she listened closely, feeling that the song was vaguely familiar. Unconsciously she started nodding along to the music as she undressed and climbed into the tub, hissing a bit at the temperature.

"_Hey! Hey! What's the matter with your head, baby? Yeah!"_

Wordlessly she stared at the CD player. Really?

"_Hey! Hey! What's the matter with your mind and your sighin' and your ooh-oh-oh_

_Hey, hey, nothing's the matter with your head, baby, find it_

_Come on and find it_

_Hell with it, baby, 'cause you're fine and you're mine and you_

_Look so divine_

"_Come and get your love!"_

Quistis burst out laughing and could not stop. It was such a ridiculous song that she could not take it seriously and somehow that made her take Seifer more seriously. This song at least seemed to indicate that he was very interested but not creepily attached. And since she was still figuring herself out, that was the best thing she could have hoped for.

The rest of the CD was a peculiar mix of upbeat fluff and surprising melancholy, with several tracks that made Quistis blush with their unrestrained sensuality. Two tracks were instrumental, which forced her to think about what Seifer had had in mind when he'd included them, and after listening to them both twice she still had no idea. Quistis listened to the entire CD twice before the water chilled and she decided it was time to sleep. It was around eleven, which would give her plenty of time to rest before the debriefing. Quistis ate her snack/dinner and went to bed thinking of how nice it would be to have Seifer in bed with her, sleeping alongside her after they were both exhausted...

...after he passed his test.

"_He'd better pass the field test," _she thought as she drifted off. _"Or else."_

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a/n: I have 8Tracks playlists up if you want to hear some of the music that inspired this fic. The link is available in my author profile, or here: / kleptocom-560/ new-seed. Enjoy!

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